


Teach Me Something New

by lizzyatedeanspie



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-15
Updated: 2013-09-25
Packaged: 2017-12-20 06:28:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 69,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/884015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizzyatedeanspie/pseuds/lizzyatedeanspie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cas Novak never falls for straight guys, but when Dean Winchester walked into his classroom to pick up his niece one fateful afternoon, he realized you should never say never.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> You guys can thank savingcas on tumblr for this story, as well.

"Hold on a second. Why am I getting roped into this wedding thing? Jo isn't my cousin. She's Jess' cousin."

"Don't look at it as helping Jo. Look at it as helping Jess; who, by the way, is your family. Look, Dean, do it for me, okay? It's just for a couple of days."

"You know I don't mind babysitting the pipsqueak, it's just I was going to take up another shift at the firehouse."

"I'll pay you to babysit her."

"I'm not going to get paid to babysit my niece. I'm not doing the shift for the money, Sam."

"What's wrong?"

Dean Winchester sighed into the phone. It never failed. No matter how many damn times he told his brother he didn't want to talk about his _feelings_ , Sam would always push. Dean was just restless on his days off. He was bored. He needed a hobby. He didn't need to talk to someone to figure that out.

"Nothing. I'm fine. I'll go pick her up tomorrow. Do you need me to drop her off, too?"

"No, no. I can do that. You just pick her up and keep her until I get off work. Are you sure everything's – "

"Yes. Good night, Sam," Dean told his baby brother before hanging up on him.

Dean set his phone on the island in his kitchen. He took the last swig of his beer and looked around. He was bored with nothing to do. He took another drink before deciding to just go to bed. He was going to need a lot of sleep to keep up with his niece tomorrow, anyway.

^O^

Dean woke up to his phone ringing the next morning. He contemplated not answering, and after he did answer it, he wished he hadn't.

"Dean, look, I'm sorry to ask you this. I really am – "

"No, you aren't, Jess. What do you want?"

"My really strong brother-in-law."

"Heavy lifting at – " Dean looked at the clock on his night stand. "It's not even eight, Jess! What the hell?"

"Dean, I'm really sorry. There are donuts here! I even saved some of those crème stuffed ones for you… and _coffee_."

"Dammit, Jess… fine. Where are you guys at and what the hell am I going to be lifting?"

^O^

When Dean got to the church, he was met with a cup of coffee, a crème filled donut, and his sister-in-law.

"Thanks, Dean. Seriously, thank you. Benny is going out of his mind trying to make Jo happy."

"Did she turn into one of those Godzille-brides."

"Bridezillas."

"Whatever."

"She's on the verge…" Jess said with a sigh.

Dean had known Jess, her cousin Jo Harvelle, and Jo's fiancé, Benny Lafitte, since they were all kids. They all grew up together. When Jo and Benny started dating, Dean was shocked. They used to fight like cats and dogs. Well, they still fight like cats and dogs, but he assumed the makeup sex is what kept them together.

"This should be fun."

"After we move the piano, you're free to go."

"I got up for a piano?"

"Benny is the only one here. Sam and Ash are at work."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay. Let's do this," he said as he finished his donut and downed the rest of the lukewarm coffee.

Dean followed Jess inside and found Benny and Jo arguing. They weren't shouting, but you could tell that if they weren't in a church, they'd be hollering at the top of their lungs. Benny caught sight of Dean. "Thank God! Maybe you can help get this woman to shut up," he said, looking at Dean.

Dean smirked as Jo backhanded Benny's arm. Benny didn't even flinch. "Good morning to you, too."

"Thanks for coming down here, Dean," Jo said, greeting Dean with a hug.

"You know me… anything for coffee and donuts."

Benny laughed as he gave Dean a hug as well. "Thank you, brother. Seriously, we can't find a good place for it without it getting in the way of something."

"Why not just keep it in the back and hook up a speaker?"

"The sound system in the church is getting worked on. It might be ready before the wedding, but they don't know," Jess explained.

"So we tried moving it to the front, but it doesn't matter what side we put it on it gets in the way of the wedding party," Jo told him.

Dean nodded. "So, you called me down here to move a piano… to… where exactly?"

Jo pouted at Dean. "We don't know."

That might've worked on him when he was younger. He always wanted to get into Jo's pants… well, until Benny did. Now she's nothing more than a sister. "I was never any good at Tetris," Dean told her. "I have no idea where to put the piano. Maybe you should find someone with a speaker system. There's bound to be a local band you could rent their equipment from."

Jess gasped. "I know who we can get it from!"

"Who?" Benny asked, excited that they wouldn't have to move the piano anymore.

"Mr. Novak! Haley's teacher! I overheard him telling the music teacher that he bought a sound system."

"Why does her teacher have a sound system?" Dean asked Jess.

"Who the hell cares?!" Jo asked. "We need that system. Jess, can you ask him about it when you go pick up Haley?"

"I have my dress fitting this afternoon. I can't get her. Dean's going to pick her up."

Jo turned to Dean. "Dean, can you please ask him about it?"

"You want me to ask a complete stranger if I can borrow his sound system…?"

Benny and Jo both nod and say, "Yes."

Dean sighed. "The things I fucking do for you people…"

"Dean, you're in a church," Jess reminded him.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure God understands my plight…" he said as he walked towards the doors. "Getting me up before God ever intended then getting me to do your bidding…" he mumbled on his way out. "The hell did I get myself into?"

^O^

Dean smirked to himself as he pulled up into the school parking lot. He loved all the looks he got from the moms of Lawrence as he got out of his Impala and headed inside. They were all staring at him, licking their chops as if he were just some piece of meat. It always made him laugh. He hadn't done this since Haley was in the first grade.

Dean walked into the elementary school, dodging kids as they ran for the doors. He smiled at them trying to escape school. He made his way to 'the third door down the fourth hallway on the right.' He had no idea how he found it with Jess' directions, but he did and there was his beautiful niece stuffing her backpack.

"What's up, Twitterbug?"

Haley looked up at her uncle, smiling brightly. She was so excited about getting to hang out with Dean today. When she hung out with Dean she got to do all the things she loved doing. He would stuff her full of junk food and let her watch scary movies and stay up past her bedtime. He would take her riding in his Impala. There was even the one time he let her sit on his lap and steer, though she wasn't supposed to tell her parents about that.

"Dean!" she called out to him as she ran towards him.

He picked her up and spun her around, making her giggle. "Are you ready to go?"

"I'm sorry," a man said behind him. "I don't think I know you."

Dean turned around to find Haley's teacher standing there. Castiel Novak was his name. Dean didn't know much about him. He knew he was new to the area, but that's all he remembered hearing about the man, besides his sound system, of course. Dean smiled at the raven haired, bespeckled man. Dean thought he looked more like a high school science teacher more than an elementary school teacher with that charcoal gray sweater vest he was sporting.

"Oh, I'm Dean Winchester. I'm Haley's uncle."

Haley let out a small gasp. Dean looked at her. "What?"

"I forgot to give Mr. Novak the note from Mommy!"

Dean put her down. "You were supposed to give that to the teacher before class so he could call your mom if he had any questions, Haley."

"I know, I know!" she said as she dug it out of her bag. She quickly handed it to Mr. Novak.

Mr. Novak read the note and looked down at Haley. "You can tell your mom I don't need any more notes about your uncle coming to pick you up. Can you remember that?" he asked, winking at her.

Haley giggled and nodded. "Yes, sir," she told him before going back to packing her bag.

Mr. Novak looked up at Dean. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dean. I'm Cas Novak," he introduced himself as he held out his hand for Dean to shake.

Dean took his hand. "Nice to be able to put a face to the name. Haley's always talking about what you guys do in here."

"Haley's a great student. Very smart."

Dean shrugged, as if he were a proud father blowing off a comment about his kid. "She gets it honest."

Mr. Novak laughed at him, and that's when Dean realized he was still shaking the man's hand. He took his hand back and laughed with him, albeit a more nervous laughter than anything else. Dean clapped his hands together. "Mr. Novak – "

"Call me, Cas," he told Dean. He hated it when the grownups called him that. It made him feel old.

"Cas," Dean restarted the request he was about to ask this complete stranger. "Jess wanted me to ask something from you. The sound system at the church our friend is getting married at is out. Jess said she overheard you talking to the music teacher and telling her you had just bought one. Is there… _any_ way we could borrow that from you? Jo is about two problems away from becoming one of those… Godzilla-brides – "

"Bridezilla," Cas corrected him.

"Right. One of those things, and none of us really want to deal with that."

Cas chuckled. He wasn't so keen on just letting complete strangers borrow his very expensive sound system, but it was for a wedding. "I… I, uh, I don't know."

"I promise that you will be reimbursed completely for any damages should any take place. Plus, if you want, you can come to the wedding," Dean told him as Haley walked up. He covered her ears. "There's an open bar at the reception," Dean whispered.

"Hey! No secrets!" Haley said as she pushed her uncle's hands away.

Dean picked her up. "I'd tell you the secrets but you can't seem to keep them."

"That's not true! I never told anyone about that time you let me drive your car!"

"You let an eight year old drive your car?" Cas asked, bemused.

"What? No. I let her sit in my lap and steer as I went five miles an hour down the road," Dean explained before looking back at Haley. "And you just told your teacher."

Haley opened her mouth to argue, but she realized he was right. "Sorry," she said softly.

Dean smiled at her and shook his head. She was too cute. He looked back at Cas. "If you want to give Jess a call to let her know if you can help, that's cool. You don't have to decide now."

Cas smiled at Dean. Cas wanted to help, but he knew the only reason he did was because of the pretty green eyed man standing in front of him. He doubted Dean was even remotely gay. He looked like a ladies man, wearing his black leather jacket, a blue plaid shirt, and a gray t-shirt and jeans. His hair was all crazy, like deliberate bedhead. Cas didn't like finding straight men attractive. To him, that was just a recipe for heartbreak. Plus, no one knew Cas was gay, not even the school board. He didn't want to be judged on his sexuality before he was judged on his teaching skills. But here he was standing in front of this Dean Winchester guy, feeling like a twelve year old girl with a crush.

And it had only been five minutes.

"I'll help," Cas found himself saying.

"You will? Really?" Dean asked, surprised he got a positive answer.

"Yeah," Cas told him.

"Oh, man. That's great. Really," Dean told him, relieved that this problem could be diverted. He set his niece down. "Let me give you my number. I'll come and help you load it up and bring it over to the church."

"O-okay," Cas said as Dean grabbed a pen off Cas' desk and grabbed his hand. He wrote his number on Cas' palm and clicked the pen a couple of times as he let go of Cas' hand. He had no idea why he didn't grab a piece of paper off the man's desk instead.

"Give Jess a call and see when she needs the system brought over. I don't even know if she knows, to be honest. It's crazy how hectic weddings get when it's down to the wire."

Cas chuckled. "That's what I hear."

"You aren't married?" Dean asked him.

Cas chuckled again. He wasn't sure how to answer the question. He wasn't married, but he'd never be married as long as he lived in Kansas. "Too much of a geek, I suppose," he said, which was what he always figured was the reason behind his single status.

"I hear ya, man. Ask a girl to sit down and watch Star Trek and they look at you like you're a weirdo."

Cas smiled a little brighter. "You can never go wrong with Star Trek."

"Right?!" Dean smiled back at Cas.

There was a moment of silence where Cas and Dean stared at one another… and where Haley took the opportunity to tell her uncle, "I'm hungry."

Cas and Dean looked over to find Haley standing there fidgeting with her hands and her backpack strapped to her back. Dean smiled at his niece before looking at Cas. "She gets that honest, too," he told him before walking over to Haley and picking her up.

Cas chuckled. "Have fun with your uncle, Haley."

"Thank you, Mr. Novak! I'll see you tomorrow!"

Dean stuck his hand out. "Thanks again, man."

"For true love, right?" Cas said, chuckling softly as he shook Dean's hand in parting.

Dean nodded. "For true love," he agreed.

After Dean released Cas' hand, he turned his attention to his niece. "Burgers? Pizza? What do you have in mind?"

"Pizza! Can I call the pizza place?!"

"We'll see…" Dean told her as he walked out of the classroom.

Cas leaned against his desk, taking his glasses off and rubbing the bridge of his nose. What was he doing?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ready for more?

"Can I? Please?" Haley gave her uncle the best pout she could muster.

Dean sighed. "I'll tell ya what. If you have some clothes over here that you can wear in the morning, I'll let you spend the night."

"Okay!"

Haley hopped all the way to Dean's room with Dean slowly following her. Once they were in his room, they walked over to his dresser and pulled out the bottom drawer. Dean always kept Haley when Sam and Jess wanted some grownup time. She stayed over at Dean's place often. "Let's see what we got here…"

"Look! There's a t-shirt and jeans and socks and panties! Yay! I can stay the night!"

Dean smiled at Haley. "Are you even going to tell your parents?"

"Oh, yeah…" she said before bunny hopping her way back into the living room and grabbing Dean's cell phone. She started pressing buttons but couldn't get his phone to unlock. "Dean?"

Dean chuckled as he took the phone from her. "And I thought I was bad with technology…" She tried to pay attention to what he was doing, but couldn't keep up. He handed the phone back to her. "It should be ringing."

She nodded her head, waiting for someone to answer the phone. "Hey, Dean."

"Nope! It's Haley!"

"Hey, sweetie," Sam greeted her. "Are you having fun with your uncle?"

"Yes! Can I spend the night?"

"You have school in the morning."

"But I have clothes here. Dean said if I had clothes to wear then I could stay," Haley argued.

"Let me talk to Dean."

Haley handed the phone to Dean. "Daddy wants to talk to you."

Dean took the phone from him. "I promise to feed her a healthy breakfast and get her to school on time," he said rolling his eyes.

"You don't mind."

"Of course not."

"Great!" Sam said, already making plans to surprise his wife with a quiet, romantic night.

"Oh, tell Jess that I talked to Haley's teacher and he's going to let us borrow the sound system."

"I assume she'll know what you're talking about?"

Dean rolled his eyes again. "Because the message is _that_ coded, Sam…" He could practically hear Sam's bitchface in his agitated sigh. "She'll probably already know. I just haven't had a chance to call her."

"Alright, I'll let her know."

"Thanks."

"No, Dean. Thank you."

"Gross…" Dean said before hanging up the phone. "Alright, kid. Bathtime, then you can play video games."

"Yes!"

^O^

The next morning, neither Winchester wanted to get out of bed, but Dean wasn't going to let Haley be late to school. As she got ready, he fixed her a bowl of cereal. It's about as healthy as he could make her breakfast with as much energy as he had. They stayed up way too late watching Star Trek. She overheard Cas and Dean talking about it and she wanted to know what it was about.

On the ride to school, she ended up falling asleep against the car door. Dean let her sleep. She had the rest of the day to live through while he was going to go home and go back to bed. Once they were at school, Dean carried Haley to class. She rested her head on his shoulder all the way to the classroom. All the kids were hustling around, putting their bags away and getting ready for class. Haley groaned and scrunched up her nose at the activity.

"You're the one that kept saying one more episode."

Cas walked up to Dean and Haley. "Good morning."

Dean smiled at Cas. "Mornin'."

Haley still had a disgusted look on her face. Dean chuckled. "I got her addicted to Star Trek last night. We ended up staying up a little too late."

"I don't feel good," Haley lied.

"Suck it up, Buttercup," he told her as he set her down. She huffed and walked over to the hook on the wall that had her name above it.

"How late did you two stay up?"

"Until about two," Dean said guiltily. He should've been the grownup and told her to go to bed, but she was really enjoying the show.

Cas chuckled softly, shaking his head at how angry she looked. He looked back at Dean. "I spoke with Haley's mother yesterday. She wants me to bring the sound system to wedding rehearsal tomorrow night to set it up and give it a test run."

"Great! Do you need help loading it?"

Cas chuckled again. "No, thank you, though. I do need directions to the church though. Jess' directions were…"

"Horrible?"

"Yes," Cas said, relieved to no longer feel stupid for not understanding Jess' directions.

"It's real easy to find. Do you know where the – "

"I don't know where anything is at. I'm still fairly new to the area. I got lost coming home from the grocery store last night."

"Oh… wow. Um, how about I just come and get it? You can either ride with me or follow me."

Cas didn't want to say, "Okay." He actually wanted to tell Dean to give him the address to the church so he could just put it into his GPS, which he was now carrying with him at all times.

"Great. Give me your address and I'll be over there tomorrow around… 5-ish?"

Cas hesitated for a second. He still had time to change his mind. He could simply tell Dean to write down the church's address – but his address was just easy to write. He handed the piece of paper to Dean. Dean smiled down at it. "Thanks, man."

"No problem," Cas told him.

"I'll see you at three," he hit Cas' shoulder and winked at him before leaving. As he walked down the hall to the exit, Dean asked himself why he did that. He didn't know this guy from Adam. Maybe he just felt bad for him. Moving to a new town without anyone to hang out with was probably pretty hard. Dean bet Cas was probably just as bored as he was. Maybe he could befriend the third grade teacher. Together, they could probably woo the pants right off of girls just by telling them what they did for a living: saving kittens from trees, teaching kids to read, the girl getting business.

^O^

Dean spent most of the day at the reception hall. He helped Benny, Jo, Jess, Jo's brother, Ash, and her mother, Ellen, decorate the reception hall. He didn't have anything better to do and they needed help carrying tables and chairs in. During a break, Benny brought up the bachelor party to Dean. "So what are we doing, man?"

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't know. I don't want to go to some strip club or bar or anything. Maybe a poker night or something?"

"Sounds good. What's Jo doing for her bachelorette party?"

"A slumber party with the girls."

"Do you want to have a slumber party, too?" Dean asked, trying to hold back his smile. Benny rolled his eyes. "Hey, do you mind if I invite Cas?"

"Cas? Who's that?"

"He's the guy that's letting you borrow the sound system."

"Oh! Haley's teacher. Right. Um, sure, go ahead. I didn't think you knew him?"

"I don't. He's just new to the area and I thought we could welcome him to town."

Benny nodded. "You sure you want to subject him to that?" Benny asked, chuckling at the memory of how stupid they get during the poker parties. All the farting, burping, drinking, smoking, and sex jokes aside, it was pretty clean fun.

Dean shrugged. "At least we can say we tried, right?"

Benny chuckled. "Invite him over. When do you want to do this?"

"Well, we got rehearsal tomorrow night, so why not the night after?"

"Alright, I'll let everyone know. You cooking?"

"The fuck do I look like? Paula Deen?"

"I want some of that jerk chicken you make." Benny laughed at Dean's blank expression. "It's my bachelor party, Dean. Come on."

"Fine! Fine… I'll fucking cook for you. Jeez. You're like a nagging girlfriend." Benny batted his eyelashes at Dean and moved closer to him, trying to nuzzle his face against his neck before Dean pushed him off. "Dude, seriously…"

Benny laughed. "So, have you figured out your gay yet?"

"What?" Dean asked in shock.

"I'm just figuring that's got to be the reason you ain't married yet. Sam's married, I'm getting married, hell even Ash is engaged to that Pamela chick , and here you are and you haven't had a girlfriend in two years. When was the last time you even got laid, Dean?"

Dean frowned at the ground. His life was in a rut was all. He figured once he found a nice job and a nice house, then he'd find a girl to share his life with, but no girl could hold his interest, and to be honest, he hadn't even thought about having sex in a long time. He wasn't gay, he just needed someone that was more than a pretty face, but it seemed all the girls with substance didn't look twice at him. He knew there was a downside to looking this good.

"Because I'm the last of my friends to get married… that's what makes me gay? Really, dude?"

"Well, that and you're an awesome cook."

Dean narrowed his eyes at his best friend. "Shut up."

Benny chuckled. He loved fucking with Dean about being gay. It had been an ongoing thing for Benny since high school when Dean dated Rhonda Hurley. Rhonda was known for having a thing for gay guys. It was the dirty little secret that everyone passed around: Rhonda Hurley got off to gay porn. Dean found that out first hand when he snuck into her room one night and found her watching it. She made Dean watch it with her that night as she had sex with him for the first time… and every time after that. He never told anyone about it… or that he sometimes still watches it…

Once they were finished at the reception hall, Dean went back to his place and took a shower. His parents wanted to have a family dinner tonight so he was just going straight over there after picking up Haley. Dean was so tired by the time he got to the school. He didn't get to sleep like he wanted to. He wondered how Haley's day went as he waited in the parking lot of school to end.

When the bell rang, Dean walked into the school, dodging kids like yesterday as they ran like their lives depended on it. He remembered that feeling of hearing the last bell of the day: freedom. Dean walked up to the classroom, watching as Cas reminded them of their homework. "So, you're that kind of teacher, huh?"

Cas looked up to see Dean. Cas smiled. He'd been thinking about him all day while he was simultaneously trying to make himself stop. Cas needed friends and Dean was straight. There was no point in trying to romanticize anything about Dean Winchester. "The kind of teacher that teaches? Yeah, I am."

"Man, I always hated those kinds," Dean told him, winking to let him know he was joking.

Cas wished he'd stop fucking winking at him. "So, you'll do me a favor tonight and make sure Haley gets some sleep?"

Dean's face fell. "Dear God, what did she do?"

"She just didn't participate in class today. She's usually one of my more active students."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, no Star Trek tonight," Dean told him as they walked into the classroom.

There were a few students still there, packing their bags like Haley. Dean walked up to Haley and squatted down beside her. She looked over at him and he could tell she was so tired. "I'm hungry."

"We're going over to Nana's house for supper. You're going to have to perk up, though, or we're going to get in trouble. We don't want your parents finding out we stayed up past your bed time." Haley sighed, nodding her head. "Finish packing up, I need to ask your teacher about something."

Haley nodded again and continued to pack her bag as Dean walked over to Cas. "So what are you doing Friday night?" Cas panicked. His hopes skyrocketed. Was Dean asking him out? "Benny is having his bachelor party and I figured since you were new to town, you could come over and meet some people. We're pretty decent folk. Ash is a little weird, but you'll learn to love him."

… _oh_. "Um, yeah. Sure, that sounds fun. What are we doing?"

"Poker night. We don't play for money, though."

"Poker? I'm not too good at poker. I've played once and never really understood it."

"I'll help ya out," Dean told him, patting his shoulder as Haley walked up.

"I'm ready."

Cas knelt down in front of her. "Are we going to go to bed on time tonight?"

"Yes, Mr. Novak."

"Good," he told Haley, giving her shoulder a little squeeze. "I'll see you in the morning."

Haley held up her arms, reaching for Dean. Dean smiled down at her and picked her up. Her head fell onto his shoulder, making a soft thud noise. "Ouch," she said softly.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Dean told Cas as he waved goodbye to him.

Cas waved back as he watched them walk out. He was really going to have to get his hormones in check. He would just have to repeat to himself that Dean was straight and that he didn't have a chance.

"Wow…" Cas looked up to see his sister walk into his classroom. "Was that Dean?" Charlie whispered.

Cas sighed. "Yeah…" He had told Charlie about Dean last night. There wasn't much to say. Just that some guy came and picked up his niece at school and Cas thought he was the hottest thing since the discovery of the sun… and that he was straight… and how he so readily agreed to help out his family.

"I don't know," Charlie said. "He looks like he's maybe seen one up close."

"Charlie…"

"I'm just saying."

"Well, let's not say. He's coming over tomorrow to show me how to get to the church."

"Why didn't he just give you the address?"

"I – I told him about how I got lost coming home from the grocery store last night. He told me he'd just come get me. Also, he invited me to the groom's bachelor party."

Charlie narrowed her eyes at her brother. "Are you sure he's straight?"

Cas nodded. "He mentioned girls, remember?"

"Oh, right. Maybe he was testing to see if you were gay."

"Charlie… don't. I don't want to get my hopes up."

Charlie nodded. "Okay, but I won't be shocked if you come with a smile on your face."

"Charlie…"

She threw up her hands. "I'm shutting it up now."

"Thank you."

Cas tried not to let his sister's words get to him. He over thought everything and his sister wasn't helping his optimistic brain because now all he could imagine was Dean dropping him off tomorrow night after the rehearsal and kissing him. _Goddammit Charlie!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Cas... it's so hard being gay with a straight Dean... Heh... I said hard...


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me lay down a little knowledge for you: pronouns suck.
> 
> As you were.

Cas woke up the next morning and decided he was going to try to look less like a stuffy teacher and more like – "Charlie, would you stop singing _Hot for Teacher_?" – a less stuffy teacher.

He went with a vest this time and wore jeans instead of slacks. He traded in his Converse for a pair of shinny black shoes. "Well, well, well. If I didn't know any better, Cas, I would say you were trying to look nice for the uncle."

Cas grabbed his messenger bag off the kitchen table. "Can't a guy just look nice?"

"Not when you have this Winchester guy coming to your classroom."

Cas rolled his eyes. "I'm going to work."

"Have a good day, little brother."

"You, too, you old hag."

"Hey!"

Cas shut the front door and got in his car. He loved messing with Charlie about her age. She was two and a half years older than him and he never let her forget it. He was excited – even though he continued to remind himself that he shouldn't be – that he was going to get to see Dean again today. He really was acting like a twelve year old girl with a crush. He was surprised he didn't giggle at everything Dean said.

However, he was pretty upset when he saw Haley run into the classroom with her mother behind her. Cas tried not to look disappointed when Jess smiled at him. He forced a smile and a small wave. Jess kissed Haley goodbye and walked over to Cas. "So are you still able to bring the sound system over tonight?"

"Uh, yeah. Dean said he would come help me move it."

"Oh… did he? Well, that's great. I guess we'll see you tonight, then," she said with a big smile on her face.

Cas nodded. "Yeah," he lamely responded as he waved bye to her before she left. Cas mentally kept his fingers crossed all day, hoping against hope that when the last bell of the day rang, a leather jacket clad bowlegged man would walk through his classroom door. And at three o'clock when the bell rang, Cas swore he heard angels singing when Dean walked in.

"Hey, Twitterbug!"

"Dean!"

Cas smiled as Haley ran up to her uncle. It was like a replay of the first time he met Dean. Dean looked up at Cas and found the blue eyed man smiling at him. Cas stopped breathing for a second when Dean's smile grew. "Look at that. Now you look like a dapper librarian," Dean said, stopping his eye before he winked at him.

Cas chuckled at Dean. Dean set Haley down. "Finish packing up," he told her before walking over to Cas. "I'm going to take her to my mom's and then I'm going to head over to your place to get you."

"Sounds great."

There it was again. That silent moment where they just looked at one another… and again, Haley interrupted them. "Can I have some chicken nuggets?"

It took Dean a second to pull his eyes away from Cas' to look down at his niece. "Chicken nuggets? I think Nana has something cooked at the house."

"We're going to Nana's?"

"You are. Mr. Novak is helping with the wedding and I have to help him."

Haley gasped and looked at Cas. "Are you going to come to the wedding?! You can see me in my pretty dress! I look like an actual princess! Tell him, Dean."

"Actual princess, dude. It's crazy," Dean jokingly told Cas.

Cas chuckled. "If I can teach your uncle how to use the sound system, I won't have to be there. You'll have to bring me pictures."

"I don't know. I'm pretty slow when it comes to electronics," Dean told him, winking at him. He could've kicked himself. "You're just going to have to come and watch Haley be the best flower girl ever."

"Dean says I'm going to be awesome!" she told Cas.

Dean picked Haley up. "You're a Winchester, Haley. You're naturally awesome at everything."

Haley smiled brightly, proud of being a Winchester. Dean looked at Cas to find him biting his bottom lip, smiling happily at him and Haley. "So, I'll see you in a little bit?"

"Yeah," Cas said softly.

"Alright, Chicken Nugget. Let me call Nana and see what she's got going on in terms of food," he told Haley as he walked out of the room.

"If it's not chicken nuggets, I want no part of it."

"Is that so? I know she's got pie."

"Oh!"

"It's mine, sweetheart."

Cas chuckled at them. He flopped down in his chair and removed his glasses as he rubbed his forehead. He had to spend all evening with this man. How was he not just going to grab his face and kiss him? He was pretty positive there wasn't a power in the universe that could stop him. He just had to remind himself for the five billionth time that Dean was straight and that he was just being nice to Cas. He had to stop wishing for more. _Fucking Dean Winchester…_

^O^

Dean tried to listen to Haley on the way to his mother's house. She was rambling on and on about what all happened today. He usually paid attention to every single word, but he just couldn't stop thinking about Cas and his eyes. He had really pretty blue eyes… for a dude. And really nice smile, too… for a dude. Dean frowned and shook his head a little. Why in the hell was he even thinking about Cas? Or his attractive features… for a dude?

He pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind and focused on Haley, asking her questions and making comments about what all happened during recess. "I think Mr. Novak likes you," Haley randomly mentioned.

"You think – what? Mr. Novak – what?"

"I think he likes you. He never talks to any of the other grownups. He waves at them, but he never talks to them like he talks to you. He likes you."

"He talks to you."

"I'm a kid, Dean," Haley stated, rolling her eyes.

Sometimes she was too smart for her own good. "Well, he's helping out your cousin Jo. He wouldn't be talking to me if he wasn't."

"He told you to call him by his first name. No other grownups call him by his first name."

Dean looked sideways at his niece. "What are you playing at, Haley?"

"Nothing. I'm just telling you that I think he likes you," she told him, shrugging.

All the thoughts he had put to the back of his mind came rushing forward again. He quickly shut those thoughts up. He wasn't gay. Just because he watched gay porn every so often doesn't mean he's gay. It was just something different to get off to. It was just like when he watched lesbian porn… though, admittedly, he didn't watch that as much as – _I'm not gay!_ he thought.

^O^

After dropping Haley off and snagging the last piece of lemon meringue pie from his mom, he headed over to Cas' place. He sat in the driveway for a second to collect himself. Cas wasn't gay. He wasn't gay. There was no gay. Cas was a friend, well he would be a friend by the time Dean was finished with him. That didn't sound right. Dean and Cas weren't gay. That's all that mattered.

He got out of his car and walked up to the front door. He rang the doorbell and waited. He was about to ring it again when Cas opened the door. He had no idea what was going on, but Cas wasn't completely dressed. He wasn't sure where the vest and dress shirt went from earlier, but standing in front of him was Cas wearing a different button down that hadn't been buttoned yet and his jeans were sitting pretty low on his hips. Dean caught himself staring at what he could see of Cas' chest… and he licked his lips.

He quickly closed his eyes. _Jesus, I'm gay…_ Dean thought.

He cleared his throat and looked up at Cas' face. Cas smiled at him. "Sorry, I spilled water all over the front of myself. I'll only be a second. Come on in."

"Thanks," he mumbled as he moved past Cas, who was holding the door open for him.

Cas shut the door and rushed past Dean and down a hallway. Dean walked into the house, looking around. He was looking at pictures on the wall when someone cleared their throat behind him. Dean spun around and found a red haired girl standing there.

"Hi," he said.

"You must be Dean."

"I am."

"I'm Charlie, Cas' sister," she said, introducing herself as she walked over to him. She stuck out her hand.

"Pleasure," Dean said, smiling kindly at her as he shook her hand. She looked like she was analyzing him.

"So, Dean, what do you do for a living?"

Or interrogating him. "I'm a firefighter."

"Oh? Sexy. You from Lawrence?"

Dean narrowed his eyes at her, trying to figure out what was going on. "Born and raised. I thought Cas moved here alone," Dean said, playing her game.

"He did. I've lived here for a few years. He's staying here while he looks for a place. Why a firefighter?"

"Childhood aspirations. What brought you here?"

"Significant other. You married?"

"No. You?"

"No, but I plan to ask my girlfriend the second Kansas joins the bandwagon."

Dean nodded, surprised Cas' sister was a lesbian. He wasn't expecting that. He wondered if homosexuality ran in the family. No, he didn't. He did _not_ wonder that. Because he wasn't gay.

"Alri – I see you've met my sister," Cas said with an annoyed sigh.

"I did," Dean said, keeping his eye on Charlie.

She smirked at him. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Dean. You'll bring my brother home at a decent time, won't you? It's a school night…" Charlie said, fixing Dean with a glare.

"I will," Dean said slowly.

"Okay," Cas said clapping his hands. "I've already got the sound system loaded in the car. Lead the way."

Dean finally got a good look at Cas. The button down he was wearing when he answered the door was buttoned and tucked into his jeans and he hand on a black sports coat over it. Dean liked Cas' style. "Right," he said, clearing his throat again and heading for the door.

Cas glared at Charlie before following Dean out the door. He hated his sister sometimes. However, the second he laid eyes on Dean's car, he forgot he even had a sister. " _That's_ your car?"

Dean looked slightly offended. "Yeah…" until he saw Cas' shocked expression turn into a grin.

"She's beautiful."

Dean stood up a littler straighter. "Thank you," he told him. "I rebuilt her myself."

Cas smirked at Dean. "You work on cars?"

Dean shrugged. "In my spare time. My dad's a mechanic and I worked with him before I became a firefighter."

It wasn't that Dean became more attractive after saying that – because let's be honest here, it was impossible for Dean to become more attractive – but it did help him from ever losing said attractiveness. Cas was pretty sure Dean could push an old lady down a flight of stairs and kick a puppy and he would still want to have sex with Dean.

"Then I think I finally found someone that will appreciate my car," Cas told him as he walked over to the garage door and lifted it up. Dean smiled at the dark blue 1969 Dodge Challenger sitting in Cas' garage.

"Now that's a fine car," Dean told him.

"Thanks. Does your dad have a shop around here? I need to get the oil changed. I usually do it myself but my ramps got stolen."

"I've got some," Dean found himself saying before he had a moment to think about it. "You could come over to the house and change it," he kept going.

"Really?"

"Yeah," he told him, driving it home.

"Thanks," Cas said, smiling at Dean.

They stared at one another again, looking into each other's eyes. A loud crashing noise brought them out of the gaze. They both looked to see a stray cat, running from where it had knocked over the garbage across the street. Dean cleared his throat again. He needed some water. "So, church?"

"Yeah, church," Cas agreed. "I'll follow you."

Dean nodded and hurried to his car. It was safe in his car. Cas wasn't in his car. Cas would be following his car, but he wasn't in his car and that's what made his car safe: no Cas. Dean took a deep breathing, breathing out slowly as he suppressed his thoughts about Cas' eyes. He cranked up his car and pulled out, dodging the trash in the street as he headed towards the church, keeping an eye on the dark blue car behind him.

^O^

When they got to the church, everyone was already there. They greeted and thanked Cas for helping them out. Cas felt very welcome at the rehearsal. He was certain that he'd be standing there like a bump on a log, but everyone was excited to meet Cas for some reason. Everyone wanted to know where he'd moved from and what brought him to Lawrence and when he answered, Jo and Benny replied with wanting to visit Illinois, albeit for Chicago and not Pontiac, but still wanting to visit Illinois. They also thought it was sweet that he moved to be closer to his sister, who had moved to be closer to her girlfriend.

Dean watched, smiling at how easily everyone interacted with Cas. However, the entire conversation with Cas was interrupted when Haley walked out of the church. "Dean!" she hollered at her uncle.

Dean turned to the church and saw his niece standing there with a box of nuggets. "What?"

"I got you an apple pie from Burger King!"

Dean clapped Sam on the shoulder. "You got a great kid, Sammy," he told his brother before jogging towards the entrance. "Is it still warm?"

"No, but there's a microwave in the kitchen. Come on, I'll show you. Want a nugget?"

"Of course!" Dean said, snatching one out of the box as they walked inside.

Benny threw his arm around Cas' shoulders. "Let's get the sound system hooked up."

"You guys do that, we're going to go get set up to start rehearsal," Jo announced.

As everyone dispersed, Jess and Sam hung back. "Are you sure this is going to work?" Sam whispered to his wife.

"I'm telling you, babe. Cas is gay."

"He looks about as gay as Dean and Dean doesn't look gay, either."

"Sweetie, leave this up to Benny and me. You'll see."

Sam sighed, shaking his head at his wife and her match making. "I just hope this doesn't back fire…"

"You don't worry about that. You just worry about planning that cruise when I win."

Sam smiled at his wife as she walked away. He smacked her ass playfully before she got out of reach. He didn't know what his wife saw in his brother – or Cas, for that matter – that told her he was gay. But Jess thought they would be cute together. And when Benny told him that Dean was inviting Cas to the bachelor party, he had to wonder about his wife's so-called _gaydar_. Sam decided he was going to keep an eye on his brother and Cas for the rest of the night.

Once the system was in place, Cas started working on hooking it up. Dean walked over and squatted beside him. "So how does this thing work?"

"You sure you can understand what I'm about to tell you?" Dean shook his head. "Magic," Cas told him.

Dean nodded. "Figured. I'm a muggle, though, so I can't help."

"Actually, you can. I'm going to play and if it's too loud, turn the volume down."

"Which one is that?"

"The one labeled volume," Cas told him as he walked around to the front of the piano.

"Ah, I see. This shit is hard, man."

Cas laughed at Dean as he took a seat at the piano. He started playing some classical piece that Dean didn't know, but it sounded amazing. Dean remembered what he was supposed to be doing and turned up the volume. He looked up at front of the church to see Benny motioning for him to turn it up. Dean turned it up until Benny motioned for him to stop.

Cas stopped playing and looked at Dean. "And there you go."

"So, why do you have this sound system anyway?"

"I play the piano. Mine is in storage for now. It's usually hooked up to the system and I record myself."

"Wow," Dean said, impressed. "Can you teach me to play? I've always wanted to learn," Dean said as he walked around the piano to sit with Cas on the bench.

Cas noticed how their shoulders were touching, but he ignored it. The seat was small. "I can't just teach you how to play," Cas said, scoffing. "It takes a while to learn it."

Dean pressed a couple of keys. He was going to tell Cas that he had the time if Cas did, but Benny hollered for Dean. "Hey, Dean. Come on, brother. It's time to walk."

"Where's Jess?"

"Haley needed her, use Cas," Benny told him.

Dean narrowed his eyes at Benny. He looked at Cas. "Want to be my bridesmaid?"

Cas chuckled. "I thought you'd never ask."

Dean smiled at him before getting up. Everyone lined up outside of the entrance into the main hall. Sam started loudly humming the wedding march and everyone started walking. "Where do I go?" Cas whispered to Dean halfway down the aisle.

"Follow Pamela."

Cas nodded. Dean pushed him in the direction he was supposed to go once they were at the end of the aisle. Once he was in position beside Benny, he smacked Benny on the back of the head. Benny turned around and smirked at him as Dean rolled his eyes. Benny did that on purpose and Dean knew he did.

Dean leaned into Benny, whispering beside his ear. "Would you knock it off? No one is gay around here."

Benny chuckled. "You sure about that?" he whispered back.

Benny moved away from Dean as Jo and Ellen started walking down the aisle. Dean looked up at Cas to find Cas looking at him. Was Cas gay? He did have a pretty decent clothing style. Very season-one Rupert Giles, but younger. He played piano. His sister was a lesbian. Maybe it did run in the family?

But dear God, what did it matter? He wasn't gay. He might've been gay for like five seconds earlier, but he wasn't gay. Dean liked girls. Take Pamela for instance. He'd totally bang Pamela if she weren't engaged to Ash. Just because he wasn't dating a girl or sleeping with one regularly didn't mean he was gay. That's when gay porn decided to run through his mind, but all of the faces were his and Cas'.

Cas gave Dean a small grin. _Shit_ , Dean thought. He was cute. Dean thought Cas was cute. This never happened to Dean before. He never thought guys were cute. He was never attracted to a guy. Was he attracted Cas? He could say Benny was cute. Benny was cute, but Dean didn't like Benny's smile the way he liked Cas' smile. So then he was attracted to Cas. He was, wasn't he? _Shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Dean. Oh, sweet, sweet Dean. Just embrace it, sweetie. Let it go. Be free. Have sex with Cas.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little later than usual, but still here! ^.^

"So, what are you going to wear tonight, Casanova?"

Cas rolled his eyes at his sister. He had just got home and was fixing himself a drink. He was a little nervous about tonight. Tonight was Benny's bachelor party. He didn't know anyone that was going to be there. He knew their faces and their names because he met everyone last night, but they were all completely new people. That alone had him nervous enough, but then there was Dean, like the cherry on top of the nerve-wracking sundae that was tonight.

Last night after the rehearsal was over, he and Dean stood outside of the church and talked for a little bit. It wasn't very long, maybe twenty minutes. He found out a little about Dean, not much. They just sort of fleshed out the parts Cas already knew about the firefighter bit and Dean's car. Dean found out Cas was house hunting and told him if he needed any help that Dean could provide some assistance since he went through the experience not too long ago.

It was nice, and all Cas wanted to do was fucking kiss him. His lips… Dean's lips were just… so… _fucking kissable_! It was unreal how kissable they looked. He wanted to test them out… for science… even though he hated the subject, he would take one for the science world. Dean's lips were an area that needed to be explored thoroughly… by his lips… and tongue… and – dear God, Cas had to stop thinking about Dean's mouth.

Cas took a drink of his rum and coke minus the coke. "I don't know."

"Cas, are you going to be okay?" Charlie asked, bemused at the fact that Cas had the rum and coke sitting out in front of him, but he forgot to put the coke in the rum.

"Hopefully. Tonight will either be a really fun night or I will come home mortified beyond all belief that I couldn't control myself and I kissed a straight man in front of his family and friends."

"So, how are you going to contain yourself until they get there?"

Cas had forgot about that. _Fucking hell…_ Since he didn't know much about the game of poker, Dean offered to teach him some things before the game started. He invited him over early so they could play a couple of rounds. "I – I don't know…"

Charlie walked up to her brother and patted his shoulder. "It's going to be okay, Cas. Just…"

"Just what?" Cas said, looking down at Charlie.

Charlie shrugged. "Try not to rape him?"

Cas shook his head at his sister, taking his glass with him as he walked into his room. He had to figure out what to do about tonight. So, while he was showering, he convinced himself that Dean was straight. All the gazes, all the flirting, everything, it was all in his head. None of that really happened. Not the way Cas saw it, anyway. Dean wouldn't have even spoken to Cas had it not been for the wedding and needing his sound equipment. Dean wasn't gay, he wasn't attracted to Cas. End of story.

Cas got out of the shower and looked at his clothes. He wasn't going to let this get to him. There were plenty of guys out there that Cas could be with. Dean probably had this effect on everyone. Charlie was probably having issues with Dean's attractiveness. Cas grabbed his favorite black button down that was slightly faded from wear and his brand new black vest. Though the two articles of clothing were two different shades, they still went well with one another. He put it on and decided it was missing a little something, so he put on a red tie. He paired it with his favorite black slacks and took a long hard look at himself in the mirror. He figured if Dean wasn't gay before tonight, this outfit might change his mind.

^O^

Dean had been Haley free since last night, which meant that he didn't get to see Cas at school today. He was kind of a little bummed out about it until he realized he'd get to see him tonight. Of course, then he got a little bummed out that he was even bummed out to start with. It was an emotional process Dean was getting used to. Think about Cas, stop thinking about Cas, then regret it all. He did a lot of thinking about Cas last night though.

After he'd left the church, he came home and really thought about his feelings. Was this all purely sexual or did he honestly like Cas? He didn't know much about the man, but what he did know, he really liked. He'd come to terms with being attracted to Cas. He realized that just because he was attracted to Cas didn't mean he couldn't be attracted to girls too. Because regardless of how he felt towards Cas, girls were still hot. So, maybe it was just Cas? Maybe there was just something about him. Maybe he had this effect on everyone. Because after really digging through his past, he could honestly say there wasn't a guy he would've slept with until Cas came along.

Regardless, this was all still a little pointless since Cas wasn't gay. Cas was just one of those shy, nerdy guys that probably clamed up around girls. Dean still wanted to be friends with Cas. He was still cool and easy to talk to. Dean needed new friends. Cas was just what the doctor ordered as far as Dean was concerned.

But that didn't stop him from getting nervous the closer it got to Cas showing up. When he heard the knock, Dean stared at the front door for a second. "We can do this, Winchester. Just don't look into his eyes. Whatever you do, don't look into his eyes…"

Dean walked over to the door and opened it, finding a very well-dressed Cas standing on his front step. "Well, look at you. I must've met you on a laundry day or something," Dean told him.

Cas chuckled and looked down at his clothes. "I just kind of felt like dressing up. You never know where the night will take us."

Dean smirked, nodding his head as he imagined where he wouldn't mind the night taking them. "Come on in. I don't have much time to turn you into a poker master."

"Poker can't be that hard…"

"You gotta know when to hold 'em and you gotta know when to fold 'em," Dean told him as he walked into the kitchen.

"Alright, Kenny Rogers. Let's just play some poker," Cas joked as he followed Dean.

"Alright, so you have ten different hands. The worst hand you can have is a high card hand. Which is basically you're banking on winning with your highest card. If this is your hand, fold," Dean said as he went about finishing dinner. Cas picked up the cards and started looking through them.

"Star Wars cards?" Cas asked, laughing.

Dean looked over his shoulder, glaring at Cas. "Yeah, Star Wars. What did you expect? Naked ladies? It's fucking playing cards."

Cas held up his hands. "Sorry… nerd."

"Keep it up. This nerd is going to beat your ass with those Star Wars playing cards." Dean paused, looking at the wall in front of him as he processed what he'd just said. He quickly added, "At poker, I mean," before going back to stirring the baked beans.

Cas narrowed his eyes at Dean's back. Did he really need to clarify himself? Cas quickly stomped on that kind of thinking and pushed Dean for more information. "And the second to worst hand?"

"A pair. Any two cards of the same rank. If we all have pairs then the higher pair wins. Same goes for two pair, which is the next hand. After that, there's three of a kind, which is pretty self-explanatory. Then there's the straight. That's any five cards in a row. A flush is any five cards of the same suit. They don't have to be in order, just the same suit. Then you got a full house which is – "

"A 90s TV show?"

Dean chuckled. "Are you even paying attention?" Dean asked as he looked over his shoulder to find Cas looking at the cards.

"Darth Vader is the joker. That's funny."

"That would be a no."

Cas looked up at Dean. "I'm sorry. You were going kind of fast and I got distracted. Can I write this stuff down?"

Dean smirked again. "I saved you the time and already did it for you. Look on the poker table in the living room. There's a cheat sheet on the table."

Cas walked into the living room and retrieved the sheet, bringing it back into the kitchen with him as he looked it over. "This is great," Cas said as he stood at the island. Cas started making hands with the cards, practicing what they look like. They sat in amicable silence as Cas studied the sheet and Dean continued to cook. "Wait, what am I missing? A royal flush and a straight flush is the same thing…"

Dean walked over to where Cas was sitting and leaned into Cas' personal space. Cas got a really good look at Dean up close. Cas could practically count all of Dean's freckles. His scruff was just the right amount of scruffy. His hair looked so soft. He smelled so, so good. Cas found himself leaning into Dean a little. He couldn't help it. The man was like a fucking magnet and Cas was just a hard piece of metal.

Dean tried to concentrate on what Cas wasn't getting but all he could really comprehend was Cas standing right beside him. Dean looked up and found Cas looking at him. Dean had avoided it before now. He had avoided looking into Cas' eyes, but he did it. He looked, and he couldn't look away.

Cas' eyes darted down to Dean's lips. They were so close. Christ, how did they get so close? He just wanted to kiss him. How bad would it be? Just to do it? He could apologize. He could even leave if he had to. At least he could say that he got to kiss Dean Winchester.

The second Cas' eyes broke the spell when they looked down at Dean's lips, Dean knew Cas wanted to kiss him. Maybe Cas was gay. There was only one way to find out, and if it went badly, then Cas would leave, but at least Dean could say he got to kiss Cas Novak.

As if someone fired a gun to start a race, both men lunged for one another. Their lips crashed together in a rough, heated kiss as they pulled one another closer. It took both of them a moment to realize the other one was kissing them back and that there was no objections to what was happening.

They both pulled away at the same time and asked, "You're gay?!"

"Yes," Cas answered.

"Kind of," Dean replied at the same time.

"Kind of?" Cas asked in confusion.

"It's… it's complicated," Dean tried to explain.

Cas frowned. "Either you like guys or you don't… not that complicated."

"I don't. Well, I haven't before you…"

"So then you're just gay for me?" Cas asked, trying to understand.

"I think so."

Cas thought for a second, his eyes darting all over Dean's face as he contemplated what Dean had just said. "I'm okay with that."

They both smiled at one another before they started kissing again. Hands were roaming all over: getting lost in hair, being shoved up shirts, cupping jaws. They both wanted to touch everything all at once but were burdened with only having two hands. Dean had Cas pressed against the island, his leg pushed between Cas' legs. Dean had started moving his kisses away from Cas' lips when there was a knock at the door.

It took both men a second to realize someone knocked. "Who's here?"

"I don't know. Maybe if we ignore them, they'll go away," Dean said.

They waited for a moment before the person knocked again. This time the knock was a rhythm and Dean knew exactly who it was. "Fucking Sammy…"

"How do you know?"

Dean pulled himself away from Cas, straightening his shirt. Cas tried to fix Dean's hair for him since it was his fault it was messed up. "Sam always does the 'Shave and a haircut' beat, but he never finishes it."

"The what?"

Dean frowned at Cas. "You've never heard of that?" Dean asked. "Shave and a haircut, two bits?" he sang.

Cas shook his head slowly. Before Dean could make a smartass comment, Sam knocked again. Dean motioned to Cas' hair. "Go fix your hair… I kind of…"

"Gotcha…"

Cas hurried to the bathroom as Dean answered the door. Sam frowned at Dean. "What's going on?"

Dean frowned back. "Nothing."

"What took you so long to answer the door?"

"Showing Cas around," Dean answered quickly.

Sam gave his brother a once over. Dean didn't look like he'd been up to anything. Sam narrowed his eyes at him. "Where's Cas?"

"Bathroom. Are you done with the interrogation, Sherlock? Are you just going to stand out there or are you going to come in?"

Sam walked pasted Dean as he entered the house, eyeing his brother suspiciously. Dean rolled his eyes and shut the door. "You're here early."

"So is Cas," Sam said accusingly.

"Cas doesn't know how to play poker. I was teaching him," Dean motioned to the cheat sheet and cards spread out on the island.

Sam walked over to the evidence and nodded. "The slumber party started early, so I took Haley over to Mom and Dad's and headed over here. I sent you a text."

Dean looked around and realized his phone wasn't in the kitchen. "I must've left it in the bedroom."

"What were you doing in there?" Sam asked suspiciously.

Did everyone think he was gay? What the fuck is wrong with everyone? "What the fuck do you mean what was I doing in there? It's my fucking bedroom, Sammy. What in the hell do you do in your bedroom? What's gotten into you?"

Sam realized he was asking too many questions. He cleared his throat, but before he could apologize, Cas walked into the kitchen. "Hi, Sam," Cas greeted.

Sam smiled at Cas. "Hey, Cas."

Sam noticed a small red mark on Cas' neck as he came and stood beside him. He then noticed that both Cas and Dean were sporting red, swollen lips. Sam smirked at the two of them as Dean tried to help Cas understand the difference between a royal flush and a straight flush. _I'll be damned_ , Sam thought. _She's always right…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think cockblocking is also part of the family business. ;)
> 
> Thanks for all the great reviews, guys! As Misha Collins once said: It warms the cockles of my heart...


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took twenty years. Between being too tired to function and having to deal with Boaz Priestly feels (when they hit, they hit hard and I have to watch Ten Inch Hero), I didn't have time to write. So I hope this isn't too disappointing. ^.^ Enjoy!

"Poker is hard," Cas complained.

"It's not that hard," Dean told him.

"Oh, it's _hard_ …" Cas said, looking pointedly at Dean, grinning slightly.

Dean smiled at him, brushing his knee against Cas' under the poker table. Sam, Ash, Garth, and Benny all exchanged looks. Dean and Cas had been doing this all night. The more the alcohol flowed, the more obnoxiously flirty they became with one another. They didn't realize that the rest of the group was catching their flirtatious barbs towards one another, but they were. Sam was shocked that Jess and Benny had been right all this time and Benny sat there smug. He was _never_ letting Dean live this down. Ever.

"So, Cas," Benny started, causing Dean's eyes to shoot up from his cards. "How do you like it here in Lawrence?"

"So far, so good," Cas said, concentrating more on the cards than Benny's question. "I'll take four," Cas told Garth, who was the dealer for the round. Dean reached over and placed a hand on Cas' arm, shaking his head. Cas remembered Dean telling him that if he needed more than three cards, he needed to just fold. "No, I won't take four. I'll fold…" he said, sighing because he was losing.

Dean smirked at him and Cas couldn't help but smirk back. Cas moved his leg, brushing it up against Dean's leg. They'd been doing it all night, playing footsies and rubbing knees. Cas just wanted to grab Dean and haul over to the couch and make out with him. He just wanted to go at it like a couple of horny teenagers. He wanted to eventually have sex with him, too, but right then, in that moment, he just wanted to rut around with him.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Benny continued his questioning.

Dean narrowed his eyes at Benny, who was ignoring him while he was talking to Cas. Dean was going to have to keep an eye on his best friend. Benny had this problem where he was a dick and Dean didn't need him to be a dick right now. Cas took a deep breath and looked around the table as everyone was waiting for him to answer. Cas shook his head. "No, um, I'm gay… and single."

The smug look on Benny's face made Sam smile. Benny winked at Sam. He never understood why the Winchester boys always doubted what he knew was right. Benny didn't want Cas to feel uncomfortable with telling them this piece of information, so he didn't dwell on it. The more comfortable Cas was around the group, the more he'd want to hang out and the more he'd be around Dean. Benny's end game here was simple enough.

"Maybe not for long, eh? You're a good looking guy. I'm sure _someone_ will snatch you up real quick," Benny said, glancing at Dean. The exasperated look Dean shot Benny made him chuckle.

"Can we play some cards?" Dean asked, tired of Benny's antics. He didn't need Benny complicating things between him and Cas. He wasn't sure what he wanted with the elementary school teacher. He'd never done this kind of thing with a guy before. He'd never done _any kind_ of thing with a guy before. He knew he liked kissing Cas and he liked flirting with him and hanging out with him, but there was more to it than that.

The night continued on as such. When two in the morning rolled around, the guys decided to call it a night. Garth was the designated driver for Ash and Benny and Sam's alcohol tolerance was rather unnatural. Benny made sure everyone left before Cas did, so the two of them would have some time alone. Dean walked him to his car. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked for the fifth time.

"I'm fine, Dean," Cas told him as he leaned against driver's side door of his car. "Do you want me to perform a sobriety test? I can say my alphabet backwards. Z, Y, X – "

Dean didn't let him go any further. He trapped Cas against his door and kissed him. He was tired of him using his mouth to speak. Dean had been thinking of other ways Cas could use his mouth and kissing was most definitely at the top of the list. It didn't take long for the innocent, sweet kisses to turn into needy, rough kisses. They pulled one another closer: grabbing shirts and tugging on hair.

Dean broke the kiss off and looked into Cas' eyes. "You should stay the night."

Cas took a deep breath. "I – I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't trust myself around you, Dean. You'll promise to stay out of the bedroom, but you won't and I wouldn't want you to and one thing would lead to another and I don't think you're ready for that."

Dean frowned at Cas. "You don't think I'm ready for what?"

"To have sex… with a guy."

Dean pulled back a little further. "What makes you say that?"

"Dean, you aren't the first straight guy I've been with. I just – I want to make sure this is actually something you want, something you won't regret after we're done. Because I don't do flings anymore."

Dean stepped away from Cas. He rubbed his hand over his chin as he looked Cas over. "Dean – "

"No, you don't need to explain. I get it."

"I'm not sure that you do," Cas said, worried that Dean was about to end whatever they had before it started.

"No, I do. You don't want to get hurt. I get that," Dean stepped back up to Cas and kissed him again, just a peck on the lips. "I'll just have to prove to you that I want this," he told him as he stepped back again. "All of that aside, though, I really wish you would stay. I have a spare bedroom with a lock on the door. The second you close that door, you won't see me until you wake up in the morning. I promise that even then I'll keep my hands to myself. Not my lips though, but most definitely my hands."

Cas wasn't sure he should. What his heart wanted and what his body wanted were not the same things. He wanted more from Dean, he wanted an actual relationship. Dean had brought him into his life and introduced him to friends and family. Cas' mind ran away with itself while they played poker tonight. He entertained all kinds of scenarios of Dean and him together as a couple. Maybe it was the alcohol talking but he wanted that or he wanted nothing.

"Please, Cas," Dean begged, grabbing Cas' hand and pulling him back towards the front door.

Cas resigned. He was tired and even if he didn't live that far away, it was safer to stay the night. "Alright."

Dean led Cas back into the house. "Do you want something to sleep in?"

Cas shook his head. "No, I'll be fine. Do you want some help cleaning up?"

Dean smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "Yeah," Dean answered. "I would."

Cas couldn't help but smile back at him. They cleaned up as best as they could in the tired, drunken conditions they were in. Dean walked Cas to the spare room. "If you need anything, just let me know," Dean said as he walked backwards towards his door.

"I could use one thing," Cas said, smirking.

Dean stopped in his tracks. "What's that?"

"A goodnight kiss," Cas said softly.

Dean smirked as he took those few steps back over to Cas. The kiss, like earlier, started off sweet and soft, but something seemed to flip inside and the sweet, innocent kisses turned into the needy, rough ones. Cas wanted to pull Dean inside of his room. He wanted to pull him into the room and have sex with him until neither of them could move. Cas wrapped Dean's t-shirt around his hand and pulled as he took a step back, he knew he shouldn't. He knew he shouldn't but his body didn't care.

Dean braced his hands on either side of the door, stopping himself from being pulled into the room. "No," he told Cas. He could've sworn he heard Cas whimper. Dean pulled Cas back out into the hallway. "You said you don't do that and I'm not going to let you. I don't want you to regret anything either," he told Cas as he pressed his forehead against the slightly shorter man's. "Go to sleep, Cas," he told him before kissing him softly and pulling away from him.

"Goddammit, Winchester," Cas mumbled.

Dean smirked. "Good night," Dean said before turning and hurrying into his bedroom. That was one of the hardest things Dean had ever done. Dean got out of his clothes and quickly got in the shower. Maybe if he masturbated then he could push the fact that Cas was down the hall, ready and willing. By the time he was under the hot water, he was already hard. His mind kept thinking about Cas' mouth.

He grabbed his soap and poured some in his hand. He grabbed a hold of his cock and turned around so the water could pound against his neck and shoulders. As he stroked himself, he thought about Cas on his knees in front of him. "Fuck…" He bet Cas would suck his dick just right, taking him into his mouth as far as he could and the lightly raking his teeth up his shaft as he pulled back. He would quicken his pace just to slow it down and tease Dean before doing it again. Cas would suck on his balls as he palmed his ass.

Dean quickened the pace of his strokes. He was so close and he just fucking started. He hoped he'd last longer whenever he and Cas started fooling around. He thought about fooling around with Cas. He wanted to see what the nerdy teacher had going on under his proper outfits. He bet Cas had a nice chest. It felt nice when it was pressed against him, but there were also several layers of clothes between the two of them. He wanted to feel his chest under his bare hand.

Dean started rubbing his own chest, trying to help his mind imagine what it would feel like. He pictured Cas straddling him on the couch in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs – no, in nothing at all. He wanted Cas straddling him, rubbing his hard dick against his. "Shit, Cas…" That image did Dean in. He couldn't hold off any longer. When Dean came, he fell against the wall, sliding down it as his legs gave out. He lay on the floor of the shower for a moment, recovering from his orgasm.

^O^

When Cas heard the shower come on, he tried to ignore it. He knew that meant Dean was on the other side of the wall naked… and wet. Cas got out of his clothes, stripping down to his boxer briefs. He walked over to the bed once his clothes were laid out on the chair in the corner. He pulled the covers back and froze.

Did Dean just moan?

Cas stood there, frozen to the spot as he listened for the noise again. He didn't have to wait long before he heard it. Cas stood up straight, gripping his stomach as he stared at the wall. He felt his dick twitch when he heard Dean swear.

Was Dean masturbating?

Cas found himself walking over to the wall before he realized what he was doing. He pressed his ear to the wall and closed his eyes, imagining what Dean would look like all wet and soapy and tugging on himself. He bet it was a sight to behold. Cas imagined himself behind Dean, kissing on his neck as he wrapped his hand around Dean's as he jerked off. Cas would grind against Dean's wet ass, smiling against his ear as Dean shuddered and pressed his ass against Cas.

He heard Dean moan again and Cas' hands were in his underwear faster than he could blink. He started jerking off to the sound of Dean's moans and to the thought of him turning around in Cas' arms and picking Cas up. He wrapped Cas' legs around his waist and slid inside of Cas slowly. Cas held on for dear life as Dean fucked him, kissing him hard on the lips. He imagined Dean would be slow and sweet at first, savoring the initial connection before the sensation of being inside Cas took him over. He would start fucking Cas into the wall, biting and sucking on his neck.

Before Cas' fantasy really took off, Cas heard words that literally shocked the orgasm right out of him. "Shit, Cas…" vibrated through the wall before he heard Dean fall against it. Cas came into his hand, doing everything he could not to make a mess. He could hear Dean panting softly then he swore and chuckled softly. Cas would've kicked a puppy in order to be in that shower with him.

"Soon," Cas whispered to himself.

^O^

The next morning, Cas woke up to the smell of eggs and bacon. He smiled against his pillow, remembering where he was waking up at and what had happened last night. That was enough to get him out of bed. He got out, used the bathroom, checked his hair to make sure it was the right amount of bedhead before it just looked sloppy, and pulled on his clothes. He didn't tuck in his shirt and only buttoned up most of the buttons, forgoing the actual buttoning of the first four. He pulled his vest on, leaving it undone and shoved his tie into his back pocket.

He wasn't expecting a shirtless Dean to be standing in the kitchen wearing nothing but dark gray pajama pants as he made breakfast.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Dean greeted him with a smile. Cas smiled back as Dean pushed a coffee cup towards him. "Help yourself. I hope I didn't wake you." He did actually. Hope he woke him, that is. He wanted to start his day and he wanted to spend it with Cas.

Cas shook his head. "The wonderful smell of eggs and bacon is what woke me up, so you're off the hook," he said as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He added a few teaspoons of sugar and took a sip. "Coffee… oh how I love thee."

Dean smiled at Cas as he flipped the bacon. "Do you like waffles?"

"I love waffles."

"Good because I was about to make some."

Cas bit his bottom lip as he looked at Dean. He stepped up to the man, grabbed his bearded face and kissed him. Dean stood there surprised for a second before he pulled Cas against him. When Dean moaned into the kiss, Cas pulled away. That moan reminded him of last night and Cas wasn't going to be able to continue to keep his body pressed against Dean's with that memory in his mind.

"What are you doing today?" Cas asked him.

"Well, if you still want, we can change the oil in your car. After that, I don't know."

"You know the fair is in town. I've wanted to go ride a few rides, eat some funnel cake."

"They do fireworks every Saturday night, too."

"Is that so?"

Dean nodded. "There's actually a really nice place out on the lake where we'll be able to see the fireworks and not have to deal with the crowd."

"Sounds like we have plans."

Dean smirked. "Sounds like."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figured it was time to earn the naughty rating, right? Looks like there's going to be a fluff storm up ahead, so you guys better batten down the hatches or whatever one does in a fluff storm... DOES THIS MAKE ME GOD IF I'M THE ONE CREATING THE STORM?! AM I MOTHER NATURE?! FUCK YEAH!
> 
> ... thanks for reading and all the reviews you guys have left me! Leave me some love if you like. Hopefully the next update won't be ten years from now. :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It might not be as fluffy as I promised, but still fluffy nonetheless. Enjoy!

Dean almost fell down when he walked back out to his garage with two glasses of water. Cas was stripping his white t-shirt off. After breakfast, Cas had went home to change into something he could get dirty and get everything he needed to change the oil in his car. Dean thought he looked really good when he got out of his car after getting back, but this was better, shirtless Cas was way better.

Dean cleared his throat and handed Cas his water. Cas took the shirt and wiped the sweat off his face. "Damn, it's hot out here."

Dean just smiled and nodded. He was very hot. He couldn't stop staring at Cas' chest and how sweaty it was. He licked his lips as he thought about how it would feel real nice if he took his shirt off and they made out.

"I never thought I'd say this, but my eyes are up here, Dean…" Cas said, chuckling softly.

Dean's eyes shot up, looking at Cas. "Sorry…" he quickly said, cheeks turning red as he moved past Cas and went back to helping him tune up his car. Cas smiled at the blush. It was cute.

^O^

Once they were finished with Cas' car, Cas went home and showered, getting ready for his date tonight.

"Date? You and the firefighter are going on a date?" Charlie asked him from the bedroom door.

Cas nodded as he sifted through his closet for a shirt to wear. He wanted to go relaxed tonight since they were going to be outside. He found a short-sleeved, white plaid button down and pulled it on.

"So when do I get to meet him?" Gilda, Charlie's girlfriend, asked from her place beside Charlie.

"Is he coming to pick you up? That's not much of a date if he isn't," Charlie pointed out.

Cas shook his head at his sister. "He's not coming to pick me up. I'm going over to his place and we're leaving from there."

"So, is this a date or are you just hanging with his friends again like last night? And you still aren't forgiven for not texting me," Charlie said, giving her baby brother a very stern look.

"Oh, hush, Charlie. He was probably too busy having sex. Cut him some slack," Gilda said, smiling slyly.

"No, actually," Cas clarified. "There was no sex, I stayed in his spare bedroom, and, yes, it is a date because we're going to the fair alone. Is there anything else, ladies, because I'd like to get out of here?"

Gilda and Charlie exchanged looks. Gilda shook her head. "No, you're allowed to leave."

"Thank you," Cas said as they moved out of his way so he could leave his room.

Charlie smiled devilishly at her girlfriend. "I think I have a hankering for funnel cake," she told Gilda.

"No you don't," Cas said before walking out the front door.

Charlie and Gilda dissolved into a fit of giggles.

^O^

Cas was a little worried about this date. It wasn't the date itself that he worried about. He knew he was going to have a great time with Dean, but he wasn't sure he was ready to be public about his sexuality and he wasn't sure Dean would understand that. He didn't want Dean to think it was him, because it wasn't. Cas would happily kiss Dean in the middle of town if he knew he wouldn't be pushed out of his job. He would have to just make Dean understand.

Cas pulled up into Dean's garage and sat there for a second, trying to get his words together before he got out. When he got out of the car, the door to the garage opened and there stood Dean wearing a long sleeved tan Henley and jeans. There was nothing the man could wear and not make it look good. He could wear a potato sack and still pull it off.

Cas smiled at him as he walked towards him. Once Cas was right in front of him, Dean smirked, placing his hand on the other side of the door frame, blocking Cas' entry. "What's the magic word?"

Cas shook his head at Dean before stepping forward and placing a kiss on his lips. They kissed for a brief moment before Cas pulled back and whispered, "Please?" against his lips.

Dean sighed shakily and moved his hand. Cas smiled before kissing him once more. He took Dean's hand and pulled him into the house. "I need to talk to you about something before we leave."

Dean was immediately on guard. He hated it when people started conversations like that. "What's up?" he asked as Cas stopped in the kitchen.

Cas leaned against Dean, wrapping his arms around Dean's neck. "I want to tell you this, but I really need you to understand and not take it the wrong way," Cas started. Dean nodded, giving Cas his cue to continue. "No one really knows I'm gay. The school doesn't know, the parents don't know. I shouldn't have told Benny last night. I don't want to lose my job because of my sexuality. Not everyone is okay with gay people, let alone them teaching their children."

"They can't fire you for being gay, Cas."

"No, but they can make my life a living hell and I don't want that either," Cas tried to explain. "I'd much rather just keep it to myself until I get my first year out of the way. I want them to judge me on my ability to teach rather than my sexuality."

Dean nodded. He understood, but he didn't understand what that had to do – oh. "So, you want me to keep my hands to myself."

Cas nodded. "Please? I didn't want you to think it was you. I want to hold your hand and kiss you, but I can't."

Dean pressed his lips against Cas'. He pulled back and smiled at him. "I think I can keep my hands to myself for a couple of hours. All bets are off once we're at the lake watching the fireworks, though."

Cas chuckled. "Thank you, Dean."

He wasn't too thrilled about it, but he understood. Dean pecked Cas' lips. "You're welcome, Cas."

^O^

This was the most fun Cas had had in a long time. They hit up the games first, popping balloons with darts and trying to knock down bottles with softballs. Dean was especially good at the BB-gun game where you shoot down little tin figurines. Dean won Cas a large stuffed bear from that game. Once they were done with the games, they put their winnings in the car – Cas put the seat belt on the bear in the back seat – and then went back for the rides.

Cas' first pick was the Ferris Wheel. Dean gave him a tight smile and shook his head. "I'll wait for you down here."

Cas smiled at him. "Are you afraid of heights, Dean Winchester?"

"What? What? No. I just… no. Heights? What?"

"Oh my God, Dean. It's like twenty feet in the air," Cas explained.

Dean cringed. "That high?"

Cas shook his head. He moved closer to Dean. "I'll hold your hand," Cas offered.

Dean cut his eyes at Cas. "That's low… but I'll do it."

Cas laughed at him as they walked up to stand in line. "You'll be fine, Dean."

Dean couldn't take his eyes off of the top of the ride. "If I die, I'm going to kick your ass."

Cas laughed again, throwing his head back. He shouldn't laugh at Dean's fear, but he didn't have to be so cute about it. When it was their turn to get on the ride, Dean hesitated. Cas walked past him and got in the cart. He sat down and laid his arm across the back of the seat, waiting for Dean. Dean shook his head, but walked on, taking a seat in the cart with Cas.

Cas looked around, making sure no one could see him as he scooted closer to Dean. "You're going to be fine," he whispered against his ear before grabbing Dean's hand, entwining his fingers with Dean's. He moved Dean's hand so that it sat on his thigh. "You'll be just fine."

"If you keep whispering in my ear like that we're going to have another problem," Dean said, turning so he could look at Cas in the eyes.

"How serious are you about this, Dean?"

"About dying on this ride? Pretty goddamn serious. I'm pretty damn positive a twenty foot fall could break my neck."

Cas chuckled and shook his head. "I mean about us."

Dean sighed, searching Cas' face for the answer to the question he's been asking himself. "I – I don't know, honestly. I do know I like you. I like kissing you and I like being around you. I know I want more than that though. I want more than hand holding and kisses. I want to be with you. I can't stop thinking about it, actually."

"So you just want sex?" Cas asked, trying to clarify where Dean's coming from.

Dean shook his head. "No, no. That's not what I meant when I said I want to be with you. I want this. I want dates and movie nights. I mean, yeah, sex, of course, but more than that. I really like _you_ , Cas."

"I really want to kiss you right now, Dean."

"I really want to kiss you, too, Cas."

Cas bit his bottom lip as he looked down at Dean's lips. "You want to skip the rides and go make out in the backseat of your car by the lake?"

Before Dean could answer, the ride came to a halt. Dean realized they were stuck at the very top of the ride. "Holy fucking shit. Are you fucking kidding me?"

Cas grabbed Dean's face and kissed him. They were so high up that no one could see them and he didn't want Dean to freak out. So, he did the only thing he knew to do: kiss him. Dean completely forgot where he was. He'd been wanting to kiss Cas all night and he wasn't about to let his fear of heights get in the way of this kiss. It was short lived though. The ride started moving again and Cas pulled back.

"Good distraction."

Cas shrugged. "I try."

The second their cart was back on the ground, Dean hurried off of it. He was so happy he could've fell to his knees and kissed the ground. Cas laughed at him as Dean bent over and braced himself on his knees. Once Dean was okay, he stood back up straight and looked at Cas, pointing his finger at the man. "You owe me."

Cas laughed at him and pulled on the sleeve of his shirt. "Come on, Dean. Let's get out of here."

They left the fair and drove over to the lake. The second the engine was cut off and the windows were down, Dean laid his arm across the back of the seat and moved closer to Cas, who moved closer to Dean. Cas didn't waste any time, he turned towards Dean, laying his hand on his thigh and pressing his lips under Dean's ear. Cas smiled against Dean's neck as he moaned softly.

"How much longer until the fireworks? I don't want to miss them."

"I'll show you some fireworks," Dean said as he turned to capture Cas' lips with his own. Cas smiled into the kiss, letting Dean take over. Dean ran his hand up Cas' chest, pushing against his shoulder. He wanted Cas to lay down, but Cas wasn't sure about that.

"I – I don't think – "

"I promise to keep everything PG-13… if you take your shirt off."

"I think that would cancel out the PG-13 rating."

"Okay, just unbutton it. You can keep it on."

Cas chuckled and shook his head at Dean. The man's green eyes were going to get Cas into a lot of trouble. He was pretty sure he'd do anything Dean asked if he looked at him like that. Cas sat up straight and started unsnapping each button, slowly, one at a time. Cas smiled as Dean's eyes watched his hands. "But I'm not lying down."

"What? Why?" Dean asked as he moved the shirt to the side so he could see Cas' chest.

"Because if I do that, then my legs will spread and things will happen."

Dean chuckled. "Then come here," he said as he moved so one of Cas' legs could lay behind him and the other could lay across his lap. He pulled Cas' glasses off and set them on the dashboard before kissing him. Dean ran his hands over Cas' chest, finally getting to feel it for himself. He loved how soft his skin was, but how solid his chest felt. Dean wanted to feel it under his lips. If Cas didn't want to lay down in the front seat, then Dean would bend down so he could taste Cas' skin.

Cas' mind started racing as Dean started kissing down his chest. He wanted Dean to keep going further until his face was buried in his crotch, but the first burst of fireworks went off and it grabbed Cas' attention. "The fireworks, Dean. They started."

Dean continued to kiss Cas' chest slowly. "You watch," he mumbled between kisses. "I've got all I need right here." Fireworks were the furthest thing from Cas' mind after he heard those words. He pushed Dean back and pulled his shirt off before lying down on the front seat. "Finally," Dean said as he hovered over Cas.

Cas pulled Dean down on top of him. He wanted to feel his weight, feel Dean completely. Dean wrapped his arms under Cas, wrapping his hands around Cas' shoulders as he kissed him. Dean pulled back and started kissing down Cas' neck. He wanted to pay more attention to his chest right now. There was no point in having Cas shirtless if he didn't take advantage of it.

That's when Dean noticed how bright it was outside. He looked up at the fireworks and saw that there were way too many going off. Dean frowned and listened closely, hearing the sirens in the distance.

"Something's wrong…"

Cas frowned up at him. "What do you mean?"

Dean pulled back, pulling Cas to sit up. "The fireworks. Something happened," Dean told him, grabbing Cas' shirt and tossing it to him before starting the car. Cas looked up at the night sky and saw all the fireworks going off. That's when he noticed the faint sound of the sirens.

Cas knew Dean had to go help. They might not have called him, but Dean can't stand by knowing people are getting hurt. Dean sped back to the fairgrounds and found three fire trucks and two ambulances. "Stay here," Dean told him as he got out of the car.

"Wait. I can't just sit here."

"You can and you will. I don't want you to get hurt. I need you safe. Just stay put, Cas, please?" Dean begged before getting out of the car and heading off into danger.

Cas sat there for a moment. He didn't want to, but he really didn't know what to do. He got out of the car and watched as the firemen put out the fire near the fireworks display. Something must have exploded to cause that big of a fire. Cas looked around as people were rushing to get to safety and that's when he saw the little boy. He had a balloon around his arm and he was alone and crying as people ran past him.

Cas didn't think twice about it. He ran for the little boy and picked him up, bringing him back to the safety of the Impala. He couldn't get the little boy to stop crying long enough to get a name from him. He tried his best to calm him down, but the boy couldn't be consoled. Cas checked him for wounds, thinking that was the reason he was crying, but he didn't see any blood, so he continued to bounce the little boy on his hip, hoping that would calm him eventually until Cas could spot a police officer.

The second he saw one, he called out for the cop. Once the cop had taken the kid, Cas turned to walk back to the Impala, but he saw Dean. Dean was carrying this girl who was bleeding from the head. He was getting her over to an ambulance, her mother behind her wailing and screaming. Cas felt a sense of pride watching Dean.

Dean got them all in the ambulance and turned to see Cas standing there. He walked over to him. "What are you doing?"

"There was a stranded kid. I had to find a police officer. Are you okay?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, one of the fireworks fell over and everything started going off. They've got everything under control, it looks like."

Cas placed his hand on Dean's chest. "Then let's get out of their way."

Dean gave the scene a once over and saw that everything really was under control, considering the situation. There wasn't much he could do. He nodded and took Cas' hand, but immediately dropped it. "Sorry," Dean said, rubbing the back of his neck with the hand he used to hold Cas'.

"It's okay, Dean. Come on," Cas just wanted to get them away from the scene. He knew Dean was a firefighter, but he didn't really think about how dangerous that really was until just then.

Once they were on the road headed back to Dean's house, Dean asked him. "So are you coming to the wedding tomorrow?"

"I'm going to have to. I don't think you ever learned how to work the volume."

Dean smiled at Cas. "You'll be my date?"

"Already planning for the second one and the first one isn't even over? I must be good."

Dean shook his head. "A simple 'yes', Cas… just a simple 'yes'…"

"Yes," Cas said quickly.

"I'm going to need you to make sure you can control yourself tomorrow, though. I'm going to be in a tux. There's going to be kids there. I don't want you to traumatize them."

Cas laughed at Dean. "You wish."

"Maybe a little," he said shrugging.

Cas scooted over to sit beside Dean. He pressed a few kisses to his neck as he held Dean's hand in his lap. "I'll do my best to contain myself. I make no promises about after the wedding, though."

"I'm going to hold you to that, Cas."

"I hope you hold me to a lot of things," Cas said, looking pointedly at Dean.

Dean smirked. "You're killing me, Cas."

Cas laughed at him. He loved fucking with Dean. He could get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's going to be a few days before I can update again. I have to go to Louisiana for a couple of days, but don't worry, it is very much not a hunting trip. I'll be back. There's no reason to go find a family member and come looking for me. ^.^
> 
> Thanks for reading and leaving all the awesome reviews. They make my cheeks hurt from smiling so much! Keep it up! ^.^


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hunting trip - err... I mean, Louisiana trip over. Sorry this took so long to get out. I haven't been able to stop sleeping since I got back to Texas.
> 
> So... enjoy!

"So, I see Cas is here," Benny said to Dean as Dean straightened the groom's tie.

"Good to know you're eyes are working," Dean said, rolling his eyes.

"Let's try this again," Benny said, clearing his throat. "So, I see Cas is here."

Dean's hands fell to his sides as he gave Benny an exasperated expression. "What do you want me to say?"

"Say it. Say it out loud," Benny said, dramatically grabbing Dean's coat.

"Listen, Edward, if you want me to tell you that I'm gay, then, sure, whatever, I'm gay, I guess. I don't know. I just really like Cas. I don't see what it matters if he's a dude."

Benny shook his head. "I don't care that he's a guy. I don't care that you're gay. I just care that I've been right all these years and I'd just like some acknowledgement, because, yet again, I'm right when you Winchesters thought that I was wrong."

Dean rolled his eyes again. "You're right, Benny. Congratulations. I'll buy you a cake that says 'Congratu-fucking-lations' on it when you get back from your honeymoon."

"Make sure it's chocolate," Benny told him, winking at his best man.

"I'm going to go make sure everything is running smoothly. I don't think there's enough room for you, me, and your ego."

"It's okay, Dean. You can tell me the truth. You want to go see your boyfriend."

"Look, don't say anything about this okay? No one knows Cas is gay and he doesn't want it to get out yet."

Benny's eyes got really big as he turned to look at Dean. "You're a dirty little secret?"

"Oh my God. Would you stop talking? Just remember what I fucking said," Dean told him before walking out into the hall.

As soon as he shuts the door, he looks up to find Jess standing there. "Hey, Jess."

"So, I see Cas is here."

Dean rubbed his forehead. He could feel a headache forming. "Yeah, he is."

Jess stepped closer to him and whispered. "Did you ask him here? Like as a date?"

Dean took a deep breath and nodded, sighing. "Yeah."

Jess smiled brightly. "That's great, Dean. Really, that's great. I knew you guys would be perfect for each other."

"Wait, what?" Dean asked, confused by what Jess just said.

"The sound system isn't broken, Dean."

"So, Cas' system – what?"

"I just told you that so you and him would have an excuse to talk to each other. I knew if I just sent you to go pick up Haley, it wouldn't be enough."

"So, you set me up?"

Jess smiled. "I did."

"I can't believe this. I don't know if I should be upset or thankful."

"I know you don't like us messing around in your life, Dean, but this was needed. Cas is a great guy and he's got that nerdy factor. Plus, he's hot. I figured if Cas didn't work, then no one would."

"And you didn't think it might not work… because you know… he's a guy?!"

"Oh, honey…" Jess said, placing her hand on his arm, giving him an apologetic look. "I have to go check on Jo."

Dean watched his sister-in-law walk down the hall. It's great how everyone but Dean knew he was gay. Why didn't he get the memo?

Dean walked into the lobby outside of the main hall of the church. He checked on the ushers and made sure everyone was being seated properly. Cas happened to turn around and see Dean standing there talking to the ushers and his jaw dropped. He knew Dean could make anything look good, but this was James Bond shit right here. Cas looked around and noticed he wasn't the only one that noticed Dean. Cas got extremely jealous and even more territorial. He got up from his seat beside Sam. "I'll be right back. I just saw your brother."

Sam turned and saw Dean and saw Cas walking with determination towards Dean. Sam watched Cas grab Dean's wrist and press his lips to his ear. He didn't know what Cas said, and by the look on Dean's face, he didn't want to know what Cas said, because they immediately disappeared after that.

^O^

Dean saw Cas get up from his seat beside Sam and walk his way quickly. Whatever the ushers had been saying to him was lost to the wind because as soon as he met eyes with Cas, he stopped listening to them. Cas grabbed his wrist and pressed his lips to Dean's ear. "If you don't take me someplace private right now, we're going to be traumatizing more than just the children."

Dean's mind started working quickly, thinking of a place to hide them so they could be alone. He pulled away from Cas and started walking down the hall. The hall was empty, but the only rooms were Benny's room, Jo's room, and the preacher's office. However, there was a hall closet. Dean quickly opened the door and shoved Cas inside before closing the door behind him.

"The closet, Dean? Really? Two gay guys making out… _in a closet_?"

"I'm sorry, is there a reason you're talking? Because I could've sworn there were better things to do with your mouth."

"You haven't even seen the _best_ things I can do with my mouth…"

Dean grabbed Cas up and kissed him. He pressed the slightly smaller man against the wall and started unbuttoning his shirt. Cas tried to do the same to Dean, but Dean forced his hands down to his sides. "You can't undress me. I have a wedding to be in in a few minutes. You're going to have to keep your hands to yourself."

"What?"

"I'm serious, Cas," Dean teased.

Cas placed his hands on Dean's hips. "Can I keep them right here?" Cas asked before moving his hands to Dean's ass. "Or here?"

Dean groaned against Cas' lips. "There is good," he said before he went back to unbuttoning Cas' shirt.

Cas stopped him. "Wait."

"What?"

"What if someone finds us?"

Dean reached over to feel for a lock on the door. There wasn't one. "Okay, I won't unbutton the shirt, but the kissing – "

"The kissing is fine," he said before pulling Dean back against him, grabbing two handfuls of Dean's ass.

Dean moaned softly against Cas' lips as he went back to kissing him. Their tryst didn't last long – or maybe it did and they just lost track of time – when they heard voices on the other side of the door asking after Dean.

"Where did he go?" Benny asked.

"I don't know. I think he was headed towards the main hall," Jess told him.

"I just came from there," Ash said. "He wasn't – "

Dean pulled away from Cas. The closet was dark. He didn't know there was a metal mop bucket behind him. He could've sworn there wasn't anything in this closet but him and Cas, but as soon as he knocked it over the talking outside the door came to a screeching halt. Was that crickets?

The door opened and there stood Benny, Jess, and Ash looking at Dean and Cas. Benny and Jess were grinning stupidly at the two of them while Ash looked on in confusion. "I was just showing Cas around the church…" Dean tried to lie for Ash's sake.

Ash frowned. "I'm sure that's what you were doing…" From somewhere down the hall, someone called Ash's name. "I'll be right back."

Benny chuckled as Ash ran off. "Really, Dean? Two gay guys in a closet?"

"That's original," Jess said, smirking and shaking her head.

"I'm pretty sure there's a joke somewhere in there. Two gay guys walk into a closet…"

"Okay! Okay!" Dean shouted as he and Cas stepped out. "Shut up!"

Cas was trying not to laugh at Benny and Jess. Giving Dean hell must be a favorite past time of theirs because they were pretty good at it.

"If you're done, I'm ready to get married now," Benny said.

"We're not done, but I'll allow the wedding to start," Dean said.

"I'll go back to my seat," Cas said, squeezing between Dean and the wall. Dean reached over and smacked Cas' ass before he got out of reach. Cas looked over his shoulder at Dean and winked at him as he headed back to the main hall.

Dean looked back at Benny and Jess to see Jess covering her huge smile and Benny bouncing on the balls of his feet. Dean's smile faded as he shook his head. "You two are so annoying."

"Dean!"

Dean turned and saw his niece running down the hall towards them. "Look at the princess!" He caught her as she jumped up at him.

"Are you ready to be the best flower girl ever?" Benny asked her.

Haley nodded. "Yeah!" she said, giving him a high five. "Do you like my flower crown? Jo made it for me!"

"It's beautiful," he told her.

"Every princess deserves a crown," Jess told her.

"And minions," Dean added.

"Dean…" Jess scolded.

"Servants, whatever. Same thing."

"Dean!"

Dean rolled his eyes as he looked at Haley. "Your mother is no fun."

"Can we get this wedding started?! I'm ready for some damn cake!" Jo screamed from a crack in the door.

"That's my cue," Benny said as he headed towards his place at the front of the hall.

"Let's get everyone lined up," Jess said.

Dean sat Haley down. "Go get Jo."

Haley ran back down the hall as Dean helped Jess get everyone in position. The sooner this wedding was over, the sooner he and Cas could find another closet to get lost in. The second everyone was in position, the ushers motioned to the pianist to start the music.

"Sorry for interrupting you, by the way," Jess whispered to Dean.

"I'm sure it hurts your soul," Dean whispered back.

Jess laughed softly. "Seriously, Dean. I couldn't imagine having someone you want to make out with so close and not be able to do it."

"It does suck."

"Sam told me about what you told him this morning, about Cas' wishes. How long are you keeping it a secret?"

Dean shrugged. "Until he doesn't want to."

"When are you going to tell Mary and John?"

"Eventually," he said as he and Jess stepped up to the door. It was their turn to walk. As the two of them passed by Sam and Cas, they both winked at their significant other. The both of them took their place at the front with the rest of the wedding party and Benny just in time for Haley to see Cas. "Hey, Mr. Novak!" Haley said in a loud whisper as she waved to him.

Dean shook his head, trying not to laugh as Benny chuckled beside him. He looked at Cas to see him wave back at her. "Hey, Haley," he whispered loudly back to her.

Cas looked up at Dean and winked at him before watching Haley make her way up to stand beside her mother. Dean watched as Haley asked Jess if she did good and Jess nodded her head, smiling proudly at her daughter. For the rest of the ceremony, Cas and Dean tried to keep their eyes off one another. They both could've stared at one another the entire time, but neither of them wanted anyone else to notice.

As soon as the preacher pronounced Benny and Jo as husband and wife, they started cheering as they made their way down the aisle. Dean snatched up Haley as he and Jess followed the newlyweds. Benny, Jo, and their families lined up outside the church to thank everyone for coming and to make sure they came to the reception as the rest of the wedding party slipped off to the back rooms to clear them out.

"So, did I do good, Dean?" Haley asked her uncle once they're away from the crowds.

"Amazing! Just like I knew you would."

Haley smiled brightly as he set her down. "Come on, sweetie. Let's go get your stuff," Jess said, taking Haley's hand.

Dean was alone in the room since Ash was with Jo outside and he saw Garth sneak off with Becky Rosen, his new girlfriend. When the door closed, Dean turned to see Cas standing there. Dean smirked at him as Cas locked the door. "You don't have anything pressing to do, huh?"

"Nah, just a toast to the happily married couple, but that can wait," Dean told him as Cas walked up to him.

"You sure?" Cas asked as he ran his hands over Dean's chest.

"Pretty damn positive," Dean told him as his eyes locked onto Cas' lips.

"You know, you look _really_ good in a tux."

"Told you," Dean mumbled as he moved forward to kiss Cas.

Cas pulled back, keeping his lips out of Dean's reach. "No, I don't think you understand. You looked _really, really_ good, Dean."

Dean frowned, looking to Cas' eyes. "Thanks?"

Cas could tell Dean wasn't catching on. "All I could think about while you were standing up there on display was all the things I wanted to do to you."

Dean gulped. "And what was that?"

Cas pressed his lips against Dean's neck, but before he could tell Dean exactly what he'd been thinking about, someone knocked on the door. "Hey, who's in – Dean? Are you in there? Come on, man! We don't have time for this. The reception is about to start!"

"Alright, alright!" He hollered back at Benny. He looked at Cas. "Keep that thought," Dean told him, kissing him deeply before hurrying over to the door and opening it. "Goddamn cockblocker…"

Benny laughed as he saw Cas in here with him. "Pre-marital sex is a sin."

"So is gay sex…"

Cas smirked. "Looks like we would've been two for two," Cas said.

Benny chuckled as he looked at Dean. "I like this one."

^O^

Dean couldn't stop thinking about Cas during the entire reception. He did his duties as best man, but as soon as he gave his speech, he stayed glued to Cas' side. "So, what are you doing after the reception?" Dean asked him once Sam and Jess went off to dance.

"I have work in the morning, so I can't do too much." Dean looked down at his watch and swore under his breath. It was already nine o'clock. Cas leaned over to see the time and sighed. "Maybe tomorrow night?"

"I have to work for the next few days. I won't be able to do anything until Thursday."

"That's a long time from now."

Dean sighed. "You come over after school lets out, I'll cook dinner, and you bring a movie and we can stay in."

Cas nodded. "That sounds perfect."

Haley walked up, dragging her feet. "I'm so tired," she told Dean and Cas. Dean picked her up and she laid her head on his shoulder. "Mr. Novak, can I skip school tomorrow?"

"If I have to be there, you have to be there," he told her.

"Or!" Dean proposed, "You can both skip."

Cas shook his head. "Education is more important," Cas told Dean.

Dean smirked. "I'm sure you could teach me something new," he told him, winking at him.

"Not in front of the kids, Dean."

"What are you going to teach him, Mr. Novak? Dean is really smart!"

Cas looked at Dean pointedly, telling him to fix this since he's the one that started flirting in front of the kid. "Cas could probably teach me some math. I suck at math, don't I, Haley?"

Haley nodded. "Bad."

Dean set her down. "Go find your parents and tell them you're tired. If they're not ready to go, you can leave with me."

Haley cheered as she ran over to her parents. "That means I would get to see you in the morning," Cas said as he came to the conclusion.

Dean smirked at him. "That's what I'm hoping."

"God, I want to kiss you right now."

Haley came running back up to them. "Mom and Dad said that I can spend the night!"

"Let me walk Mr. Novak out to his car and we can go, okay?"

Haley nodded as she went back over to her parents. Cas and Dean quickly walked out of the church and over to Cas' car. He was parked in the shadows of some trees. They knew no one could see them because they could hardly see each other. Dean pinned Cas against the driver's side door as he kissed him. They didn't get to kiss for long. They heard the side door to the church open and slam shut. They didn't want to get caught so they quickly pulled away from one another.

Cas sighed. "I'll see you in the morning," Cas told him before opening his door. He didn't want to leave and he didn't want to stop kissing Dean.

"Yeah. G'night, Cas."

"Good night, Dean."

Dean waited until Cas was on the road headed home before he went back into the church. Haley met him at the door to the reception hall. "Ready, Freddy?" she asked him.

"Let me tell everyone goodbye first."

Once he had made his rounds and told everyone goodbye, he and Haley went back to his place. He got her ready for bed and then tucked her into bed. She was out like a light but he couldn't stop thinking about Cas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see sexting in their future? Don't you?
> 
> Thanks for all the kind words, my beautiful readers. I know you guys just want to see them bang and that's why you keep asking for more. We'll get there. :P
> 
> Seriously, though, thanks for all the reviews. I love you all, even if you don't review... but maybe just a little more if you do. It's easy to buy my love. ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> H're ye arrrrrr, me lil scoundrels!
> 
> All the texting is done in italics. I wasn't sure how else to do it. Enjoy! :D
> 
> Oh and one more thing before I release you krakens... sorry for the bad sexting. Love you.

Dean was trying to figure out a Sudoku puzzle. He bet Sam twenty bucks he could finish it before his shift was over. He didn't realize how hard this shit was. He was in the middle of trying to figure out if a one or a three went into one of the squares when his phone vibrated beside him. He ignored it at first until he realized it could be Cas.

 _How's work?_ Dean read the text message on his phone. It was from Cas. He had seen Cas that morning when he took Haley to school. He told Cas to text him when he got off work. It was really difficult telling him goodbye. He wanted to kiss him, but it wouldn't be appropriate in front of the kids to see their teacher kissing someone. Regardless of whom they were kissing. The best they could do was a handshake and that just left Dean wanting more.

 _Slow, which is good_ , he replied back. _How did your day go?_ he added.

 _Slow_ , Cas messaged back.

 _What do you have planned tonight?_ Dean asked him. He thought about his plans for Thursday. He was going to cook for Cas and they were going to eat and then Dean planned to sit him down on the couch and make out with him uninterrupted. Maybe take things a step further. It was their third date after all.

 _Charlie and her girlfriend, Gilda, want to go see a movie. I'm probably going to tag along with them_ , Cas answered. It's not that Cas didn't know what to do without Dean around. He just liked doing things more when Dean was with him, so nothing seemed as fun as it used to. Even if they didn't have a relationship, Cas would still want to call Dean up and invite him to the movies.

Dean was about to text him, but he noticed that the room was empty and he could call Cas without any of the other guys being nosey. The guys he worked with were like cackling hens. Always putting their beaks where they don't belong.

"Hey," Cas answered the phone.

"Hey."

"Got tired of texting?"

"No, I just would rather talk to you more. So what are you going to see?"

"Gilda said something about the new Ryan Reynolds movie."

"That wasn't too bad."

"So what have you been up to?"

"Well, I'm trying to beat this Sudoku puzzle. I bet Sammy twenty bucks that I could finish it before the end of my shift."

"How are you doing?"

"This is Guantanamo Bay level torture right here, man."

Cas laughed. "I love Sudoku. If you want, I can finish it for you."

"I would take you some place fancy on that twenty bucks."

"McDonalds?"

"I said fancy, Cas. I'd take you to Burger King. Oh, or maybe the lunch buffet at Pizza Hut, huh?"

Cas laughed at him again. "You know how to make a man swoon."

Dean chuckled. "I do what I can."

Before Cas could say anything else, a loud buzzer interrupted their conversation. "I've got to go. I'll text you later, okay?" Dean tossed his puzzle to the side as he got off his bunk.

"Okay. Be careful."

"Always, babe," he said before hanging up and tossing his phone on his bed.

^O^

It was just an old barn that caught fire. It took them most of the evening to put the blaze out. Thankfully no one was hurt. When he got back to the firehouse, he got a shower and got back on his bed. He was going to catch a couple of hours of sleep while he could. He didn't even notice his phone notifying him of a message.

It wasn't until sometime around noon the next day that he had a chance to look at his phone. It was almost dead and he had a message from Cas. _Movie was pretty good. You know for a couple of lesbians, Charlie and Gilda are far too attracted to Ryan Reynolds._ Dean chuckled and sent him a message back asking, _Have you seen Ryan Reynolds, though?_

Dean didn't get Cas' message until about twenty four hours later. There had been a couple of really bad wrecks and a house burned down. After sleeping for a few hours and finally getting something to eat, he had a chance to read Cas' message. _I'm aware of Ryan Reynolds level of attraction, but I'm more into green eyed, bowlegged, freckled face guys._

Dean smiled like an idiot as he read the message. He walked over to his bed and sent Cas a reply saying, _That's a pretty exact type there, Cas._

He set the phone down and went and got in the shower. He smelled like smoke, which wasn't that bad of a smell, but mixed with the sweat, it didn't really smell that great. Once he was clean and dressed, he laid in his bed and grabbed his phone, hoping Cas was able to text since he knew Cas was off work. Dean smiled when he saw the text message icon on the top of his screen.

_What can I say? I know what I want. Are you still there or are you off saving kittens from trees again?_

Dean chuckled as he typed back, _I'm here. Fresh from the shower._

Cas' mind immediately thought of the night he stayed with Dean and hearing Dean in the shower. He was alone in the house. Charlie and Gilda were out for the night with friends. Maybe telling Dean about what he'd overheard would result in some more… interesting texts.

_You know you can hear the shower really well in the other room at your house._

Dean frowned at the message. Why was Cas telling him – oh dear God, he heard him masturbating to him. Dean sat up as he read the message again and again. _You heard me…_

_I did. It was… very… enjoyable._

_Wait… are you saying you got off to it?_

_I am._

Dean wasn't sure how to respond to that. He felt a little… embarrassed, sure, but he was more turned on. He looked around to see where the other guys were. All of them were in the commons area watching TV or playing cards. Dean looked back down at his phone and reread the messages.

It felt like Dean was taking forever to respond to Cas. He was starting to get nervous. Maybe he over stepped his bounds? But then his phone vibrated. _Cas, you're fucking killing me right now. There is no privacy here._

Cas smirked at the message. _So, then I probably shouldn't tell you how I'm sitting here in nothing but my underwear, huh?_

Dean could've swore. He bit his lip and let his fingers and hormones do the talking. _What kind of underwear?_

_Short boxer briefs. Stripped. Blue and black._

Dean closed his eyes and imagined Cas sitting on Dean's bed wearing those underwear and his glasses. Dean felt his dick twitch. He didn't have the time to masturbate. All he'd need is to get caught midstroke by an emergency.

_Cas… take them off._

Maybe one of them could get off before they got a call.

_Done._

_How many times have you thought about me giving you head, Cas?_

_Too many._

_Think about that right now. Think about me going down on you. I'd love to, Cas. You know that, right?_

_Do you?_

_God, yes. I'm tired of getting interrupted._

_I am, too._ Cas agreed as he started stroking himself.

_I want to make you come, like I did the other night when you were listening to me._

_I just want to hear you moan, Dean. Your moan is better than music to my ears._

Before Dean could respond, the alarm went off alerting them to another emergency. "Fuck," Dean mumbled. Why was he constantly getting interrupted?!

_Goddammit, Cas. I have to go. We just got another call._

_Dear Christ…_ Cas replied. He was so tired of getting interrupted. Why couldn't he just have a sexting conversation with his goddamn boyfriend?! _If I attack you Thursday night, please don't be upset with me._

Cas set his phone on his nightstand and pulled his underwear back on. He was so angry he didn't even want to finish. He pulled on some clothes and decided to go get ice cream instead.

^O^

When Cas woke up Thursday morning, he had a little extra pep to his step. He was going to get to see Dean tonight. He was excited.

"So, can we expect you home sometime tonight?" Gilda asked as she fixed Charlie and herself a cup of coffee.

Cas smirked and shrugged. "I don't know. I do have to go to work in the morning."

Charlie walked into the room, walking up behind Gilda and wrapping her arms around her. "The one awesome thing no one ever talks about when dating someone of the same sex is how awesome it is that you can share clothes," she said before nuzzling Gilda's neck.

Cas shook his head. "I think you want me to get laid more than I want me to get laid."

Charlie pulled away from her girlfriend to stand beside her. "I'm not saying I want you to get laid, but I am saying I want you to bang that firefighter."

"And on that note, I'm going to work."

"Have a good day, Mr. Novak," Charlie called out to him as he walked out.

The rest of the day, Cas kept his eyes on the clock. He wanted three o'clock to get there more than he wanted anything in the world. When he had thirty minutes left of class, he started subtly gathering his things. That way as soon as the last kid was out of his classroom, he could make a break for his car. However, he made the mistake of checking his phone before he three rolled around.

 _I really need you to come home before you go to Dean's house. It's super important._ he read the message from his sister over and over, shocked that this was happening.

_What in the hell is so important that it can't wait until you see me again?_

_It's too much to type. Just come home. It'll only take a minute. Please!_

Cas took a calm breath before responding. _Fine._

After the bell rang and Haley made sure to give Mr. Novak a hug bye, he left. He saw Jess meeting Haley out front and they waved as he made his way to his car. He had to fight traffic to get out of the parking lot because apparently he wasn't the only one in a rush to see what their annoying older sister wanted before they went over to see their boyfriend they hadn't seen in three days. He didn't even turn the car off before getting out of it. He left it running as he rushed inside.

"What? What? Wh – ?" he stopped short when he saw the large bouquet of flowers on the counter in the kitchen. "Charlie?" he called out as he pulled the card from the plastic stem buried in the bouquet. "Gilda?"

Cas opened the card and read the note. _I'm hoping Charlie convinced you to come home. I wanted to send you flowers at work, but I knew that might upset you. I just wanted to say that I'm looking forward to tonight. I've missed you these past three days. See you soon, Dean._

Cas' jaw dropped as he looked at the flowers. It was just a menagerie of all kinds of flowers and they were all beautiful. Cas heard Charlie and Gilda giggling. He turned and saw them peeking out of the hallway. "He sent me flowers?"

Charlie and Gilda nodded happily. "He did," Gilda said.

"I don't think anyone's ever sent me flowers," Cas admitted.

"Looks like we have a keeper," Charlie said.

Cas pulled a large purple flower from the middle and nodded. "I think we do, too. I'll see you ladies in the morning."

Charlie and Gilda cheered giddily. They were probably just a little more excited about Cas hooking up with the hot firefighter more than Cas was, but only just a little. Charlie wanted her baby brother to have what she had with Gilda, and hopefully they wouldn't have to keep it a secret forever.

Cas got back in his car and made a beeline straight for Dean's front door. He pulled his car up into the garage beside Dean's Impala and got out. He knocked on the door and hid his face behind the flower. As soon as Dean opened the door, Cas lowered the flower and smiled up at him. "Hello, Dean."

Dean smiled brightly at Cas. "She got you to come home."

Cas stepped up and kissed Dean as he pushed him back in his house and shut the door. Cas could smell food cooking and he hated that he was about to ruin dinner, but he didn't want to eat. He wasn't hungry for food. Cas pushed Dean towards the couch, but Dean stopped him.

"I've got dinner cooking."

"Fuck dinner, Dean."

Dean smirked at Cas. He walked over and turned off the oven and stove. "Consider it fucked," he said before he pulled Cas into the living room. Cas pulled off his sweater vest, tossing it behind him somewhere and tossed his glasses on the coffee table as Dean started kissing him again. He started to unbutton his shirt, but Dean brushed his hands away and started doing it for him. Cas shoved his hands up Dean's shirt, digging his fingers into his back. Dean pushed Cas' shirt off his shoulders and ran his hands down Cas' chest.

"You feel so good, Cas," Dean said as he started kissing on Cas' neck.

Cas started pushing Dean's shirt up. "Take your shirt off," he mumbled against Dean's ear.

Dean pulled back from Cas and grabbed the bottom of his shirt, pulling it above his head and tossing it behind Cas. Cas marveled at the sight in front of him. Dean was in pretty good shape, but it was the tattoo on his chest and shoulder that caught his attention. "I didn't know you had a tattoo."

It was a tribute to firefighters and his fire station. Cas ran his hand over it as Dean told him. "It never came up."

Cas pushed Dean down onto the couch. He got on top of him, straddling his thighs. "Do you have anymore?"

Dean shook his head. "Not yet," he said as he looked down at where Cas was sitting on him. He ran his hands up and down Cas' sides before he started to unfasten his jeans. Cas grabbed Dean's face and tilted his head back so Cas could kiss him. As Cas kissed Dean, Dean yanked Cas' jeans and boxer briefs down a little, making it easier for him to get inside of them.

Cas gasped against Dean's lips as Dean's hand found its way inside his boxer briefs and grabbed a hold of him. Dean sighed heavily as he started stroking Cas. He'd wondered what it would feel like to have another man's dick in his hand. He never imagined it would feel this nice. Cas tried to move back so he could watch Dean, but Dean wound his fingers into Cas' hair, pulling Cas' lips back against his. Once Dean had worked Cas until he was completely hard, Dean pulled out of the kiss and pushed Cas back.

Cas' mouth fell open as he saw Dean bend forward to take Cas into his mouth. His eyes slammed shut as soon as he felt Dean's tongue on the underside of his dick. He wanted this so much. He needed to keep his body in check so he didn't come right then. But Dean was unnaturally good at this. Cas realized Dean was right: he was a Winchester, he was naturally awesome at everything. He would take Cas as far into his mouth as he could and let his hand make up for the rest.

Cas ran his hand through Dean's hair, gripping the back of it as his hips started meeting Dean halfway. After a few more thrusts, Cas pulled him back. He was so close to coming. His lips were so red and swollen and his cheeks were a little flushed. Cas crashed his lips against Dean's, kissing him heatedly. He pulled out of the kiss and rested his forehead against Dean's. "I'm so close, Dean."

Dean wrapped his hand around Cas' cock. "Good," he said smirking.

"Wait," Cas said as he grabbed Dean's wrist. "I want you to come with me," he said as he moved Dean's hand and got off his lap. Cas got on his knees in front of Dean, unfastening his jeans. Dean didn't take his eyes off of Cas'. Cas bit his bottom lip. He was eager to see what Dean had in his jeans. "Lift up," he said, lightly smacking Dean's hips.

Dean lifted his hips and Cas pulled his jeans and boxer briefs down to his ankles. Cas was most definitely impressed. Dean smirked at Cas' smirk as Cas wrapped his hand around Dean's hard cock. "Looks like most of the work is already done for me."

"It's kind of hard not to get turned on with you half naked in my lap."

Cas smiled up at Dean, grabbing him behind the neck and pulling him forward to kiss him. "You say all the right things, Dean," Cas told him before pushing him back. "Now sit back and let me suck your cock."

Dean's smirk soon fell from his lips as Cas wrapped his lips around the head of Dean's dick, sucking hard. Dean's head fell back against the couch as Cas moved up and down his hard length. Dean laced his fingers in the back of Cas' hair. Dean's moans made Cas move faster and work harder. He sounded like he was on the edge of pleasure and pain and that did things to Cas he didn't know could be done.

Dean started chanting Cas' name softly, causing Cas to pull back. "Are you close?"

Dean could on nod. Cas kicked off the rest of his clothes and crawled back into Dean's lap. Cas grabbed Dean's dick and started stroking him. Dean caught on to Cas' idea and started stroking him as well. Cas tilted Dean's head back so he could kiss him while they jerked each other off. Soon, the pleasure became too much for Dean and he stopped kissing Cas. He head fell back and his fingers dug into Cas' hip as he came. Cas grunted, coming right behind Dean, falling forward as he washed over him. As they were both coming down, Cas' lips found Dean's neck, kissing him softly a few times.

Dean moaned softly. "Cas, that was amazing."

Cas chuckled against his neck. "Thank you, Dean. You did pretty amazing yourself."

"It's a Winchester thing, you'll get used to it." Cas laughed at him as he pulled away from Dean. Dean looked at them, both of the with come smeared on their chests. "So you want to see how loud the shower can be from the other side of the wall?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh? Eh? Right? Eh? Makes up for the bad sexting, yes? Eh? And see what would've happened like... five (rough guesstimation) chapters ago if I'd left them alone with one another. Oh, and I was also going to cut the chapter short at the "Hello, Dean." That would've been a bitch thing to do, but it was just so a cute ending.
> 
> Okay, anyway, on to the good stuff. Thanks to everyone for reviewing! Leave me some more if you'd like! Thanks for reading, my dears! ^.^


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... let us continue.

Dean looked at the food on the stove. He was pretty sure trying to eat any of what he'd tried to cook for dinner would become a health hazard. He didn't want to follow up the amazing experience he shared with Cas by giving him food poisoning. He grabbed the trash can out from under the counter and started scrapping the food – if you could call it that anymore – into the can. He set the dishes in the sink, running hot water into them to let them soak.

Cas walked in to see a shirtless Dean standing in front of the sink. He borrowed some of Dean's clothes to hang out in. Dean had already told him that he wasn't letting Cas leave until morning and as good as he looked in his stuffy teacher outfit, Dean wanted Cas to be comfortable. Cas walked up behind Dean and pressed a kiss to his shoulder.

"Did I ruin dinner?"

"Absolutely not," Dean told him as he turned off the faucet and turned around to face him.

Cas smiled at him, leaning forward to pepper kisses along his neck. The fun they had on the couch didn't stop once they got in the shower. Needless to say, the hot water wasn't the only thing steaming up the bathroom mirror. Dean pushed Cas back so he could kiss Cas on the lips. Cas smiled into the kiss, causing Dean to pull back and look at him. "What?" Dean asked softly.

"It's just nice not being interrupted," he answered as he opened his eyes to look at Dean.

"Don't jinx us. I don't want whatever power in the universe that has been a cockblock to overhear you and realize we're alone."

Cas chuckled. "So what are we going to do for dinner?"

"Well, there's pizza… or Chinese."

"Let's go with pizza."

"Pizza it is," he said as he gently pushed Cas away. He grabbed his phone off the counter and called the pizza place.

"You have them saved in your phone?"

"Haley really likes pizza."

"I figured you would make it from scratch."

"I would but then she wouldn't get to call them, and I think she enjoys getting someone to bring her pizza more than actually eating the pizza."

After Dean ordered the pizza, he and Cas got back on the couch. Cas sat with his legs over Dean's lap, but Dean leaned towards Cas, trying to get closer to him. "So, what are your plans for the weekend?"

"Are you off?"

Dean nodded. "I am. I work from Sunday to Thursday. I was just off last Sunday for the wedding."

"That's a nice schedule. Who did you have to sleep with to get that schedule?"

Dean chuckled. "No one, actually. I've just been working there for almost ten years."

"Have you ever been hurt?" Cas asked as he started absent mindedly rubbing his fingers up and down Dean's arm.

"I broke my arm a few years ago. A lady said her daughter didn't make it out of the house, so a few of us ran back in to look for her. The ceiling collapsed as we were running up the stairs and it knocked me down. I fell down the stairs. I broke my arm, got a concussion."

"Did they find the girl?"

"She wasn't there. She snuck out earlier that night to go to some party or something."

"Oh wow…"

Dean nodded. "That's the worst though. I've been really lucky." Cas frowned, thinking what would happen if Dean's luck ran out. "What?"

Cas shook his head, taking a deep breath and plastering a fake grin on his face. "Nothing."

Dean narrowed his eyes at him, skeptical of his quick response. "You aren't worrying, are you?"

Cas sighed. "A little."

Dean grabbed Cas' hand and laced his fingers though his. "You have nothing to worry about. I'm always careful."

Cas gave him a genuine smile this time as he nodded. "Okay. I won't worry."

Dean leaned forward more and kissed him. He knew he was lying. Everyone worried. His mother hated his job and demanded that she get a phone call every Thursday morning. His father just didn't think about it. He never asked him how work was going or anything. It was like Dean didn't even have a job as far as he was concerned. They were both proud of him for being so brave to risk his life for people, but they dreaded getting a phone call in the middle of the night telling them Dean had been hurt. So, Dean knew Cas was lying.

He pulled out of the kiss and rested his head on Cas' chest. "Did you ever finish that Sudoku puzzle?"

Dean chuckled. "No. I gave up on that shit. You seriously _like_ doing those things?"

"I do."

"You are such a nerd."

Cas laughed. "It's the glasses. They do it to me."

"I like your glasses," Dean admitted.

"Really? Everyone tells me I should get contacts."

Dean shook his head. "No, don't. As pretty as your eyes are without them, I like how you look with them," Dean said before he looked up at him. "It gives you that whole hot teacher vibe."

Cas rolled his eyes. "Please don't start singing _Hot for Teacher_."

Dean scoffed. "Not out loud…" Cas laughed at him. Dean laid his head back on Cas' chest. Cas started running his fingers though Dean's hair. Dean pressed his face against Cas' chest. "Why are you even wearing a shirt?"

"I would like to spend _some_ time with you without one of us being attached to the other's dick. I figured this might quell any temptation you had."

Dean scoffed again, sitting up to look at Cas. "I've seen you naked, Cas. You could stand in front of me in a parka and I would only see you naked."

"So then I don't need the shirt?"

"Or the pants…"

Cas chuckled. "I'll make you a compromise. I'll lose the shirt."

Dean nodded, smiling deviously. "That's an awesome compromise."

Cas sat up, taking off the shirt and tossing it to the end of the couch as he laid back. Dean bit his bottom lip as he ran his hand over Cas' chest. He dipped his head, pressing kisses all over Cas' chest, paying a little extra attention to Cas' nipples. Cas closed his eyes, enjoying Dean's attention. Before Cas could even realize what was happening, Dean was on top of him.

"I should've known better than to compromise," Cas said as Dean was kissing on his neck.

"Resistance is futile," Dean mumbled against his collarbone.

Cas smiled at the reference. "Talk geeky to me, Dean."

Dean chuckled as he continued to kiss Cas, rolling his hips against him. Cas ran his hand down Dean's back, under his pajama pants, and grabbed his ass, using the leverage to push himself against Dean. Before anything could really pick up, someone knocked at the door.

"You fucking jinxed us, Cas," Dean accused as he got off of Cas.

Cas laughed out loud. "You're the one that ordered pizza."

"Still jinxed us," he said as he tried to situate his growing cock.

"Need some help, Dean?" Cas asked innocently from where he continued to lay on the couch.

Dean narrowed his eyes at the man before grabbing the shirt off the couch and putting it on, pulling it down to help hid the protruding front of his pants. Cas smiled brightly at Dean before he turned to go to the door.

^O^

Cas smiled against his pillow. Instead of waking up to the smell of breakfast like the last time he was at Dean's, he woke up to kisses being pressed against his shoulders. After dinner, they watched crappy horror movies and made out all night, with the occasional hand job. Once Cas started yawning, Dean cut off the movie and demanded Cas go to bed so he wouldn't be tired in the morning. Cas curled up on Dean's chest and promptly passed out after telling him to make sure he didn't over sleep.

Cas rolled over and smiled at Dean's bed head. It was in a messy fauxhawk. "How can you wake up looking good?"

Dean shrugged. "It's a gift," he said in a voice raspy with sleep.

"Is it time to get up?" Cas asked as he let his eyes close.

"It is."

Cas groaned unhappily. Dean pressed a couple of kisses to his neck and shoulder. "If you get up, I'll make you breakfast."

"Pancakes?"

"I'll make you pancakes."

"And bacon?"

"And bacon."

"Can I have eggs, too?"

"You can have eggs, too."

"Will there be coffee?"

"Of course."

Cas smiled. "You're the best, Dean," he said as he opened his eyes.

Dean smiled down at him, running his hand over Cas' chest. "I know," he told him with a wink.

Cas chuckled and watched Dean get out of bed. Dean walked over to the dresser in all his wondrous naked glory and grabbed a pair of boxer briefs out of the drawer. Cas grinned as he watched Dean put them on. Dean deserved something nice for getting up this early on his day off and cooking Cas breakfast.

"Dean, wait," Cas called out as he sat on the side of the bed facing Dean.

"Yes, dear?" Dean asked as he walked back over to Cas. As soon as he was in arms' reach, Cas grabbed his hips and pulled Dean to stand between his legs.

"You really are the best, Dean," Cas said as he pulled Dean's underwear down slowly. "You didn't have to get up to make me breakfast," he said as he pressed a kiss right above Dean's dick.

Dean ran his hands through Cas' hair. Cas thought Dean looked good when he woke up, but Cas gave him a run for his money. "You know I don't mind, Cas."

Cas finally pulled his underwear down far enough for his cock to pop out. Cas pressed his face against Dean. "That's what makes you the best."

Dean didn't have a chance to respond before Cas swallowed him down. "Fuck," he hissed.

Cas looked up at him with his big blue eyes, making Dean bite his lip. It was such a beautiful sight to look down and see Cas sucking his dick. Dean left one hand in Cas' hair and let his other hand travel, rubbing his back and chest, tweeking his nipple. He tried to reach down to grab Cas, but Cas pushed his hand away. He pulled back and looked up at Dean. "This is for you, Dean."

Dean stopped Cas from putting his dick back in his mouth. "Wait, Cas you don't owe me anything for cooking you breakfast," Dean said as he pulled Cas up on his feet. He paused a minute to enjoy the way his dick rubbed against Cas', sighing shakily at the sensation. "I'm cooking you breakfast because I care about you. It's what I do. I take care of the people that mean a lot to me. I don't want a blowjob as a reward," he told him. "I want it because you want to do it."

Cas reached down and pushed Dean's underwear down until they were puddled around his feet. He got on the bed, pulling Dean to get in bed with him. Cas kissed him slowly, sucking on his plump bottom lip as he pulled away from him. "Then breakfast can wait," Cas told him as he pushed Dean onto his back.

Cas straddled Dean's lap, grabbing his dick and rubbing it against his. Dean sat up and pulled Cas down to kiss him as Cas continued to jerk them off together. Dean ran his hands down Cas' back, grabbing two handfuls of his ass and squeezing tight. Cas moaned into the kiss as Dean ran his finger over his hole. Dean wanted to fuck Cas so bad, but he didn't bring it up. Cas said he wanted to take things slow and they had just started fooling around last night. He didn't want to push the subject, but that didn't mean he didn't want it any less.

Dean moved his kisses down Cas' neck to his chest. He was so close. He started imaging what it would feel like to fuck Cas as he kept teasing Cas' hole. Cas reached behind him and made Dean's finger press against him harder. That's all it took for Cas. He came all over his and Dean's dicks. Dean pulled Cas against him as he fell back, planting his feet on the bed so he could buck his hips against Cas, sliding his dick against Cas'. Cas moaned against Dean's ear, enjoying the friction against his sensitive cock.

The moaning in his ear sent Dean over the edge. His arms tightened around Cas as he came, grunting softly against Cas' temple. Dean could feel the smile on Cas' lips against his neck. He ran his hand up Cas' back until it was buried in the back of his hair. He pulled Cas' head back so he could kiss him. Cas returned the kiss with enthusiasm, rocking his hips back and forth slowly. Cas pulled out of the kiss and rested his forehead against Dean's. "I never wanted you to think it was a reward, Dean. I just wanted to do something nice for you, too."

Dean cupped Cas' jaw, kissing him one more time. "I get the satisfaction of making you happy."

Cas chuckled softly. "You are so corny sometimes," he told him before kissing him. "Promise me that will never change."

Dean smiled at him. "I promise."

"Good," Cas said as he sat up and looked down at the mess between them. "We need to get cleaned up."

"What in the hell happened to your hip?" Dean asked as he looked at the bruised flesh.

Cas grabbed Dean's hand and pressed the tip of his thumb against the top bruise and the heel of his hand on the bottom bruise. "You."

Dean moved his hand, running it gently over Cas' hip. "I'm sorry, Cas."

Cas shook his head. "No need to be sorry. You didn't mean to. And actually, it's kind of hot."

Dean smirked up at him. "It is, isn't it?"

Cas smiled at him, kissing him, pushing him back down onto his back. "What time is it?" Cas asked as he pulled back, wondering if they had any more time to fool around.

"Are you going to have time for breakfast?" Dean asked as he looked over at the clock.

Cas sighed, realizing they didn't have the time. "Well, if you have some clothes I can wear, then I won't have to go home and I'll have time."

Dean nodded. "I guess the one thing they never talk about when dating someone of the same sex is how convenient it is to borrow clothes."

Cas chuckled. "Charlie said something scarily similar yesterday morning."

"Smart girl, that sister of yours." Dean smacked Cas' ass. "Let's get up. I don't want you to be late."

^O^

Dean was out of the shower first. He rushed through so he could make sure Cas was fed before work. He only stopped when getting out to give Cas a few kisses before exiting. Dean had a hard enough time keeping his lips to himself when Cas was around. The problem only grew once Cas got naked.

When Cas walked into the kitchen wearing one of Dean's button down shirts, Dean smirked at him. "It's a little big, but it'll work," he said, kissing his freshly shaved jaw.

Cas chuckled as he ran his hands down the front of his – Dean's – shirt. "I guess it's only convenient when you're the same size."

Dean motioned behind him. "I made you some coffee. Breakfast is almost done, just waiting on the bacon."

"So you like cooking?"

"Love it. My grams taught me how. I was living on my own and I was tired of eating frozen TV dinners, so I asked her to teach me to cook. My granddad told me I just needed to hurry up and settle down, but I didn't want to marry someone based on their cooking skills, ya know? What if I found someone that sucked at cooking? We'd both starve!"

Cas chuckled. "Now would be the time to tell you I can't cook."

"See? We'd be eating take out every night for the rest of our lives and that shit gets expensive."

Cas smiled at Dean's naked back. He wondered if the man standing in front of him realized what he just said or if he even really meant anything by it. Cas was waiting for the other shoe to drop. So far, for a guy who had never been with another guy, Dean was taking this gay thing rather well. Cas had been in this boat before and usually by now the guy had freaked out at least once, but not Dean. Dean couldn't get enough of Cas and Cas was the one trying not to freak out.

"And breakfast is served," Dean declared as he set a big plate full of food in front of Cas.

"Wow."

"You're welcome." Dean nodded proudly.

Cas smiled at Dean before tucking into his breakfast. He was going to be so lazy after eating this. It's a good thing the shirt was a little big on him because he was pretty sure his stomach was going to stick out from all the food he was about to eat.

"So what are you doing tonight?" Dean asked Cas. "We were having this conversation last night before I started talking about work."

"Charlie and Gilda had said something about going to see another movie. Maybe we could double date?"

Dean nodded as he fixed himself a plate. "Sounds fun. Your sister is kind of…"

"Intense?"

"A little bit, yeah."

Cas chuckled. "That's just Charlie. She's an overbearing, overprotective older sister. You get used to it."

Once Cas was finished with breakfast, he took a few minutes to finish Dean's Sudoku puzzle as Dean cleaned up the kitchen. Once they were finished, Dean walked him to his car. Before Dean opened up the garage door for him, he trapped against his car door and kissed him. "Call me later. I'll be over at my parents. Dad needs help cleaning out the gutters."

"You're such a good son."

Dean shrugged. "It can't be helped," he said, before taking a deep breath and looking into Cas' eyes. "I'm going to tell them," he said.

"Tell them?"

"About me, about us."

"Are you sure?"

Dean nodded. "They're going to know something's up when I get over there. My mom has a sixth sense about these kinds of things."

"About what kinds of things?" Cas asked, wondering where Dean was going with this. There was no way Dean was ready for him to meet his parents, right? That was a big step in a relationship.

Dean hesitated. "Relationships and stuff," he said vaguely. Dean didn't want to scare Cas away with how much he liked him. When he woke Cas up this morning, he thought about that being his life: waking up to Cas every morning. It might have been premature thinking, but damn if he didn't love the idea of Cas being there for the rest of their lives. He slipped up earlier when Cas admitted he couldn't cook. Thankfully, Cas didn't notice – or at least didn't say anything.

"Good luck," Cas said. He wished there was something better to say. He gave him a slow, sweet kiss. "I'll call you after I get off work."

Dean nodded. He opened Cas' door for him and closed it once he was in the car. Dean opened the garage door and watched as Cas left, waving goodbye to him once Cas was on the street. Dean stood there for a second, shaking his head. He was in far too deep and he realized he didn't know how to fucking swim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who thinks Mary and John are going to be accepting of Dean's new found homosexuality?
> 
> As always, my beautiful readers, thank you for all the reviews! If you feel so inclined, you may leave some more. I shall allow it! ;)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> H're she blows, Cap'n!

After Cas left, Dean pulled on a pair of jeans and t-shirt and grabbed a pair of work gloves off his work bench in his garage. He headed straight over to his parents' house. He was nervous. He had no idea how they were going to react to his news. He hoped everything would turn out fine, but there was still part of him that worried. What if they weren't as accepting as everyone else has been? What if they kicked him out of the family or called him names? As he pulled up into their driveway, parking behind his dad's truck, he pushed his worry down deep. His parents were understanding people. They wouldn't disown him… right?

He walked into the house. "Come on! We're burning day light! There's work to be done!"

He walked into the kitchen to find his parents leaning against the counter drinking a cup of coffee. He found them smiling over the rims of their cups. "Good morning, sweetie," Mary greeted him.

"Morning."

Mary tilted her head at him, narrowing her eyes and smirking. Damn, how bad did he have it for Cas if his mom could pick up on it after thirty seconds?

"What's the rush?" John asked him, smiling at him knowingly.

Dean narrowed his eyes at his parents. Did they know? Did Sam tell them? Sam wouldn't have told, would he? "No rush?" Dean answered, unsure of what to say. He had hoped to have this conversation later, have at least one more happy moment with them before he got thrown out.

"So you don't have any plans tonight? It's Friday night," Mary prodded.

"What do you guys know?" Dean asked. If they wanted to have the conversation now, they could have it now. He had thirty some odd years of good memories that he could live off of for the rest of his life.

Mary smiled. "I could hear it in your voice yesterday morning, Dean. You're in love."

"I'm not in love, Mom."

Mary scoffed. "The glow you have says differently, sweetie."

Dean took a deep breath. "So that's all you have to go on? A phone conversation?"

"Your mom tried asking Sammy and Jess about it, but they were – what did you say they were, honey?"

"Suspiciously stupid."

"Right. Suspiciously stupid."

"For a little brother that's made it his mission to be in all of your business, Sam sure didn't know anything about this new girlfriend of yours," Mary told him.

Dean nodded. "About that… I don't have a _girl_ friend."

Mary rolled her eyes and waved her hand in dismissal. "Whatever you want to call it. There is some girl and she's making you happy."

Dean quickly shook his head. "No, I'm dating someone…" Dean admitted. "It's just not a girl," he quickly added.

John and Mary frowned at him before looking at one another. John set his cup down. "What now?" he asked Dean as he stepped closer to him.

"I'm seeing a guy. I'm gay – bisexual, really. But still, I'm dating a guy."

"So what you're telling me is you're sleeping with some guy?" John asked angrily.

Dean gulped. Here it came. "Well, we haven't _slept_ together, but yeah."

John's anger faded just as fast as it came on. He smiled brightly at his son, slapping his jaw lovingly. "That's my boy. Don't put out on the first date or they won't respect you."

Mary scoffed behind him. "You should've taken your own advice."

"I should've. Then I wouldn't have to take so much crap from you."

"Okay, first off," Dean started. "Ew, and secondly, what the hell?"

John chuckled. "Dean, you haven't brought a girl home in a few years and you haven't even mentioned any prospects. It was just kind of…"

"Inevitable? And you're such a good cook, sweetie."

"My cooking skills and lack of girlfriends? Really? This is what we're basing my sexuality on? I'm a firefighter! That's manly shit!"

"There was one of those in that group that sang _YMCA_ , wasn't there?" John asked Mary.

"No," Dean answered for her. "There was a cop, an Indian, a cowboy, a biker, a military guy, and a construction worker." John and Mary looked at one another before looking at Dean pointedly. "Oh my God, seriously? I have a shit ton of pop culture knowledge."

They continued to look at Dean knowingly. Dean got increasingly agitated. He rubbed his face. "What's his name?" Mary asked, happily. "How did you meet him?"

"You can't freak out when I tell you."

John and Mary looked at one another worriedly. "Who is it?" John asked.

"Haley's school teacher."

"Mr. Novak?" Mary asked, shocked.

Dean nodded. "His name is Castiel… Cas. And you can't say anything, okay? No one knows he's gay and he doesn't want anyone finding out just yet."

John frowned. "Why?"

"He wants everyone at the school to value him as a teacher before they judge him as a person."

"So then Sam and Jess don't know?" Mary asked.

Dean nodded. "Sam knows and Jess is the one that set us up. Apparently you two weren't the only ones waiting for me to come out of the closet. I'm pretty positive I was the last one to know."

Mary walked up to Dean, taking his face in her hands. "We're proud of you, Dean. I really hope this works out for you."

"When do we get to meet him?" John asked, wiggling his eyebrows at his son.

"We've only really been together for about a week and most of that week I was working. I don't want to… scare him off."

"But you really like him?" Mary asked, taking a step back and leaning against the island counter.

"I really like him," Dean said, smiling crookedly.

Mary smiled brightly. "I'm so happy. A teacher, huh? That's very…"

"Suburban," John finished with a chuckle.

"Yes. Suburban. That means he likes kids. So I'll get grandbabies out of you after all."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Let's take this one step at a time, okay? We have a lot in common, he's fun to hang out with, but we've only been together a week."

John tilted his head slightly, smiling at his son. "Are you trying to convince us to slow down or yourself?"

"Shut up. I thought I came over here to help you with the gutters, old man. You aren't even out of your pajamas. What are you doing off on a Friday anyway?" Dean asked, changing the subject.

John laughed, throwing his head back. "Alright, alright. Let me go get dressed."

John grabbed his coffee cup and headed upstairs. Mary smiled at Dean. "It's okay to love him."

"Mom…"

"I'm serious, Dean. Maybe a guy is what you needed all along… for whatever reasons that I'm sure I don't want to know about," she told him, waving her hands to stop any arguing. "He probably is just as smitten with you." He doubted that. "Bring him around, I'll let you know," Mary said, winking at him. "Do you want some coffee?"

"Yeah," he told her, walking behind her over to the coffee pot. He was going to need all the energy he could get.

^O^

"What are you doing?" Cas asked Dean. He had just got in his car and called Dean immediately. He was looking forward to tonight. He had called Charlie and Gilda on the way to work that morning and they were looking forward to hanging out with Dean.

"Laying here on the couch half dressed. I made the mistake of lying down."

"Are you too tired to come out tonight?"

"No, no," Dean said. "I'll catch my second wind here in a little bit. What are you doing?"

"Driving home. Do you need me to come over and shake you around a bit? Maybe slap you? Isn't that what people do when they need to keep a person awake?"

"Your people skills are fucking rusty, Cas," he said, laughing at Cas. "I just need some coffee."

"I can do coffee. I'll just make a stop at the coffee house – "

"Are you telling me you don't know how to make coffee?"

"I'm not a complete lost cause," Cas said. "I know how to make it. I just don't have any means in which to bring it to you."

"You could always come here and make it."

"I could always come there and make it," Cas said with a smirk.

Dean smiled. "See you in a few?"

"Let me go home and change first. I'll be over there in a little bit."

"'kay."

They said goodbye and Dean ended the call, tossing the phone on the coffee table. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His eyes shot open when he heard someone knocking on the garage door. He looked at the clock and saw that it was four-thirty. He frowned as he realized he'd been asleep for the past hour and a half. He got off the couch and stumbled over to the door. He opened it to find Cas wearing a black button down and jeans.

"You look like you just woke up."

"I didn't mean to fall asleep," he said as he moved back and allowed Cas to come in. Cas stepped up and pecked Dean on the lips before making his way over to the coffee maker.

Dean caught Cas' wrist, stopping him and pulling him back in front of him. "A peck ain't gonna cut it."

Cas smirked as he leaned in to kiss Dean, but pulled away when Dean leaned in the rest of the way. "What's going to cut it?"

Dean pushed Cas against the wall beside the door. "You not being a tease, for one."

Cas laughed softly before Dean kissed him. Dean ran his hands up the back of Cas' shirt, pulling him tighter against him. Cas lost his hands in Dean's hair, moaning softly as Dean bit his bottom lip. Dean grinned at Cas as he pulled out of the kiss. "Hey."

"Hi," Cas said, smiling happily at Dean.

Cas wrapped his arms around Dean's neck as Dean pressed his face against Cas', hugging him close. "How was your day?" Dean mumbled against his neck.

"Good," Cas answered softly against his ear. He had spent most of his day thinking about Dean and their situation. That part of him that was being cautious about falling for a straight guy was getting smaller and smaller and Cas just wanted to give into his feelings, more so than he already had. He didn't want to worry about Dean freaking out because that was just making him nervous. He wanted to believe that Dean was sincere, and when he went home to change a moment ago, he saw those flowers sitting in the middle of the kitchen table and he knew Dean was really in this. "I missed you," he said, hoping the nervousness he felt in saying those words didn't bleed through.

Dean's arms tightened around Cas. "I missed you, too."

Cas pressed a couple of kisses to Dean's neck. "Do you still want me to make you some coffee?"

Dean took a deep breath, breathing in Cas before he pulled away from him. "Yeah, that would be great."

Cas kissed him before Dean got too far away from him. "Go sit," Cas told him, pushing him towards the living room. Dean flopped down on the couch and watched Cas go about making him coffee. "So how did your day go?" Cas asked.

"It went great. My parents took the news really well. They're both ready to meet you."

"That's great," Cas said, slightly sarcastically. He'd only met one set of parents in his life and that didn't go so well. Mainly because the guy used him to come out to his parents, but still, it was a bad experience.

Dean didn't notice. "And then my dad busted my ass helping him with things around the house. We were just supposed to clean out the gutters but I somehow got roped into helping him mow the lawn and change Mom's oil in her car."

Cas chuckled. "Free help that's worth a damn is only found in offspring," Cas said.

"Next time the other offspring can help."

Once Cas had the coffee brewing, he walked into the living room, making Dean sit up so he could lay his head on Cas' lap. Dean's eyes closed as Cas started running his fingers through his hair. "You better not fall back asleep."

"I'm not. I'm just enjoying this. I love it when someone runs their fingers through my hair."

Cas laid his other hand on Dean's chest, which Dean promptly covered with his own. "You have nice hair."

Dean chuckled. "So what are we going to see tonight?"

"I think they want to go see that scary movie that's out."

"The one _based on a true story_?" Dean asked in a mocking tone.

"You don't believe in things like that?"

"Hell no. Ghosts and demons aren't real."

"Well, regardless if it's true or not, the previews are still scary as hell."

Dean smiled. "Does that mean you're going to be screaming and hiding your face against my arm?"

"Probably."

"I'm in," Dean said quickly, causing Cas to laugh at him.

^O^

Dean talked Cas into staying the night again, so when they went to meet up with Charlie and Gilda at the restaurant, they took Dean's car. "This looks kind of… fancy," Dean told Cas as they pulled up.

"It's not. It's rather eclectic. We come here all the time. You'll love it."

"Do they serve pie?"

"They do."

"What the hell are we waiting for?" Dean asked as he got out of the car.

Cas chuckled as he got out. Dean waited for him at the front of the car, bumping his shoulder against Cas' as they made their way across the street. Dean opened the door for Cas which earned him a wink. It was hard not being affectionate towards Cas. All he wanted to do was hold his hand and maybe kiss him – okay, definitely kiss him – but he couldn't even look at him in a way people could misconstrue. He'd just have to find ways around it.

When they walked into the restaurant, the hostess smiled at Cas. "Hey, Cas."

"Hey, Daphne. Are Charlie and Gilda here, yet?"

"I haven't seen them. Let me go take a look," she said, smiling brightly at the oblivious man.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Dean chuckled. "Looks like I've got competition."

Cas pulled his phone out of his pocket, pulling his sister's number up. He'd texted her on the drive over, but he never got a response. He'd assumed they were already here. "What are you talking about?" he asked as he put the phone up to his ear.

"That Daphne chick has eyes for you, Cas."

Cas shrugged. "How is that competition? I like dick, remember? Preferably yours," he said softly. Dean smirked as Cas moved to stand beside him. Cas turned the speaker phone on as soon as Charlie answered. "Charlie, where the hell are you at?"

"Technical difficulties."

"Dean and I are at the restaurant waiting on you two."

"Shit. We'll be there soon. We sort of… lost track of time."

Dean chuckled as Cas realized what kind of _technical difficulties_ they had. He looked like he'd lost his appetite. "We'll get a table," Cas told her. "Hurry up," he said before hanging up the phone.

"You look a little green, Cas."

"I'm glad my sister has a healthy sex life, but I don't really care to know about it."

Dean laughed at him as Daphne walked up. "Sorry, Cas. I didn't see her."

"I just got off the phone with her. She hasn't even left the house yet. Can we just go ahead and get a table for four?"

"Sure," she said sweetly. "I've got just the table."

Dean let Cas lead the way and that gave Daphne the opportunity to walk beside Cas. Dean tried not to smile, but it was funny watching Cas be completely oblivious to Daphne and her flirting. When they got to the table, Dean walked around them. Daphne wanted to seat them across from one another, but Dean was going to sit beside his boyfriend whether Daphne liked it or not.

While Daphne was telling them about the specials, Dean was scoping the place out. There weren't a lot of people there and the place was kind of dark. Cas bumped Dean's arm with his elbow, bringing Dean out of his perusing. "What do you want to drink?"

"Oh, uh," he looked up at Daphne. "Surprise me," he told her before opening his menu and looking at the food.

"I'll be back with your drinks," she said, smiling at Cas before departing.

Dean noticed the table cloth and how it was hiding Cas and Dean's legs. Dean smirked as he moved his leg a little further to the right and found Cas' knee. "What are you doing?" Cas asked.

Dean smiled at Cas. "Getting around the no-public-touching rule."

"I think this is called _breaking_ the rule," Cas pointed out, tapping his knee against Dean's.

"Oh, but you see, no one can actually see it. So it's not public."

Cas shook his head as he chuckled at Dean. "Whatever you say, dear."

"So what's good here?"

"You didn't hear the specials?"

"The what?"

"You didn't hear anything Daphne said?"

"Oh, no. I wasn't paying attention to your girlfriend. I was checking the place out. It's nice. Cozy."

Cas rolled his eyes. "You aren't going to let that go, are you?"

Dean shook his head. "Not anytime soon, no," he said, grinning deviously.

"Anyway, everything is good here."

Dean nodded as he looked over the menu. "Everything, huh? What are you getting?"

"Turkey and avocado quesadilla."

"Yeah, I'm going to need more than that. I'm starving."

"They have burgers here," Cas said, pointing to the burger section in the menu. "That sounds better actually."

Dean looked over the burger selection and decided to get, "The double cheeseburger and seasoned French fries. That sounds delicious."

"I think I'm going to get the cheeseburger. I'm hungry, but not that hungry."

"How big are these burgers, Cas?"

"Pretty damn big," Cas said, wide eyed.

Dean smiled, nodding his head. "Challenge accepted."

Cas laughed at him as Daphne came back with their drinks. "Here you guys go."

"Thanks, Daphne," Cas told her, causing her to smile proudly.

Charlie and Gilda came in at that point. Dean waved to them and they made a beeline for the table. "Hey, Daphne," Charlie greeted her as she and Gilda walked up. Dean being the gentleman that he was, stood up as the girls pulled out their seats. Cas frowned up at him. "What are you doing?"

"Being a gentleman," Gilda told Cas. "I've never had a man do that before. Thank you, Dean."

"My pleasure," Dean said, sitting back down after the girls took their seat.

Cas smiled at Dean. "Aren't you sweet?"

Dean grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "I've been known to be."

Charlie cleared her throat, but it sounded a lot like _flowers_ when she did it. Cas kicked his sister from under the table, making her yelp and narrow her eyes at her brother. "What would you two like to drink?" Daphne asked Charlie and Gilda.

"Cokes," Gilda answered for them.

Once Daphne was out of earshot, Charlie smiled at Dean and Cas. "So, this is fun. Double dating. I've never done this before."

Gilda shook her head. "I haven't either."

"Me either," Cas added.

"Really? You guys have never been on a double date?"

"You have?" Gilda asked.

Dean nodded. "Sammy and Jess used to set me up on dates and we'd all go out together."

"Was it fun?" Charlie wondered aloud.

Dean shrugged. "Sometimes. The fun really lies in who you're having it with," Dean said, bumping Cas' knee with his own as he winked at him.

Gilda giggled. "I told you they would be cute."

Cas smiled at Dean, blushing slightly, rubbing his knee against Dean's.

"So," Charlie started. "Tell us about this firefighting gig you have. Tell us everything there is to know about Dean Winchester," Charlie demanded.

For the majority of dinner, Cas sat back and watched as Dean, Charlie, and Gilda talked about Dean. Dean got just as inquisitive about Charlie and Gilda, asking how they met. "So, how did you two meet? Where does a Kansas girl and a Illinois girl find one another?"

"At a LARPing convention," Charlie answered.

"A what now?"

"Live action role-playing," Gilda clarified.

"There's a game we both play called Moondor and we met there. I was a queen and Gilda was my magical fairy."

"You should come with us, Dean. You might like it."

Dean chuckled and shook his head. "I don't know about that…"

"I've gone. It's actually quite fun," Cas admitted.

"Oh? And what were you?" Dean asked.

"I was the one of the queen's guards."

Dean looked Cas up and down, imaging him in chainmail and carrying a sword. "Do you still go?"

Cas shrugged. "Sometimes. I was planning on going the next time they went."

"Which is in a few months," Gilda added.

Dean smirked. "Yeah, I'll go."

"We'll even make you a free costume. You can be one of my guards," Charlie told him.

"It's what we do for a living. You wouldn't believe how much money there is in making costumes for LARPers," Gilda said.

"Sure. Why not, huh?" Dean said, agreeing simply because he knew Cas had to look fucking hot dressed up.

Their waitress came with dessert. Cas didn't get anything because he was stuffed from the burger he ate. Dean, however, always had room for pie. "That looks good," Cas told him.

Dean looked between his pie and Cas, locking his eyes with Cas'. "You want a bite, don't you?"

"Well, if you're handing them out, I'd take one."

"Cas, you have to understand that I don't share my pie with anyone – "

"Oh…" Cas said, looking a little sad that he couldn't be Dean's special case.

"Let me finish… but for you, I'll let you have a bite."

Gilda and Charlie "Awww"ed from their side of the table. Cas and Dean fixed the both of them with a glare, which made them giggle. Cas grabbed his fork and took a bite of the pie. "Oh, wow. That is good pie."

Dean nodded. "Not as good as mine, but it's still good."

"You cook?" Charlie asked.

"I do."

Gilda motioned to Cas. "Maybe you can teach him how to cook."

"If I did that, he'd have no need for me," he said, winking at Cas. Cas smiled at him.

"I think that just gave me diabetes," Charlie told Gilda.

Gilda laughed at Charlie as Charlie smirked at the glaring men sitting across from her. Dean and Cas both rolled their eyes as they finished Dean's pie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHAHAAA! John... man... that was fun. ^.^
> 
> Thanks for all the reviews and thanks for reading, you sexy beasts! Leave a review if the need strike ye. I don't know why I keep talking like a pirate. Please ignore me.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

That was the most fun Dean had had in a really long time. After dinner, the girls decided to ride with Dean and Cas to the movie theater. The movie was surprisingly good. Cas jumped several times and screamed once. Dean especially loved it when Cas hid his face against Dean's arm and how he walked a little closer to Dean on the way out to the car. The girls kept laughing at Cas and how scared he was, but he stood by his opinion: that movie was scary as hell and everyone in the car were a bunch of soulless bastards for laughing at him.

After the movie, Dean drove Charlie and Gilda back to Gilda's car. "Dean Winchester, it was a pleasure to meet you," Gilda told him.

"Likewise. I had a lot of fun tonight. We should do this again," Dean said as he leaned against the driver's side door. Cas walked around the car and leaned against it, keeping enough distance between them, but not so much that an evil ghost witch could get him without Dean knowing.

"Definitely!" Charlie agreed. "It's nice seeing my brother so happy," Charlie said, shoving Cas' shoulder playfully.

Cas rolled his eyes, blushing just a little. "Good night, Charlie."

Charlie and Gilda gave the boys hugs before getting in Gilda's car and driving off. Dean smiled at Cas. He was in a really good mood. "You ready to go home?" Dean asked him.

Cas smirked at Dean's words. "Yeah," Cas said softly.

Dean opened the driver's side door and motioned for Cas to get in. Cas slid over to the passenger side as Dean followed. Dean looked around. "It's pretty dark. I don't think anyone would see you if you moved closer."

Cas slid back over, stopping once his side hit Dean's. Dean smiled at him as he started the car. Cas put his arm on the seat behind Dean as Dean laid his hand on Cas' thigh. The ride home was quiet. Dean was enjoying the silence and the company. He had no idea Cas was watching him. Cas could see how content Dean was. He had a small smile on his face as he watched the road.

He moved his arm from around Dean and grabbed the hand Dean had on his leg, entwining his fingers with his. "You okay?" Dean asked him.

Cas looked up at Dean. "Yeah, why?"

"You just look… I don't know. You're frowning a little."

Cas shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"About you."

Dean smirked at him. "What about me?"

"About how easy you're taking to this."

Dean's smirk faded. "How easy I'm taking to what?"

"Being gay."

Dean was silent for a moment as he figured out a way to explain his thought process to Cas. "My mom told me that when I was a kid I had this weird… knowledge. Like I knew what everything was without having it explained to me. I just knew how things worked, which she really liked because as soon as I could talk, I could tell her exactly what was going on. So, even though I never admitted to being gay, some part of me always knew I was. I think that's why it wasn't a shock to anyone when I started seeing you, why it wasn't a shock to me that I wanted to date you." Dean squeezed Cas' hand. "Cas, if you're waiting for me to freak out because I'm gay, I wouldn't hold your breath. I really like you and I really like having you around. Being able to physically show you how much I care about you is just the cherry on top of an already awesome sundae."

Cas smiled. "So then you're completely serious about this?"

"This is the most serious I've ever been about a relationship in a really long time."

Cas sighed. "That's good. That's really good."

"Is it?" Dean asked, hoping Cas will give him some clue as to where he was emotionally.

"I've been scared to let myself want this. I just knew you'd change your mind the second we got too close. I really like you, Dean. You're sweet and funny and brave. I have so much fun with you. And tonight, everything was perfect. Charlie is the only family I have," Cas revealed. "The two of you getting along so well just made tonight one of the best nights of my life. Hearing you say that you're serious about this will help shut up that little voice in the back of my head telling me you're going to change your mind."

"That voice doesn't know what it's talking about, Cas," Dean told him as he pulled the car into the garage. He turned off the motor and looked at Cas. "I'm here for the long haul, babe."

Cas sighed, relieved. He could relax. He didn't have to worry or wonder or wait. He could enjoy things now. Nothing was going to stop him from enjoying this. Cas leaned into kiss Dean, but Dean's phone rang. That could stop him from enjoying this…

Dean frowned as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He was pissed that someone was calling him at ten at night and even more pissed that it interrupted the make out session he was about to have in the front seat of the Impala. He looked at the name on the screen and sighed. "Sammy…" he said before pressing the green button. "You rang, Lurch?"

"Hey, Dean, I know it's late and I know you're probably out with Cas, but Jess' mom and dad were in a car accident. Is there any way that you can watch Haley for the night? Mom and Dad aren't answering."

"Yeah, yeah. No problem. Are they okay?"

"Not sure. Can you come get her?"

"Absolutely. We're on our way."

"I'm sorry, Dean."

"It's no problem, Sammy. Don't worry about it. I'm pulling out of the garage right now. I'll be there in a minute."

"Thanks, Dean."

Dean hung up and set his phone in between him and Cas. "What's going on?"

"Jess' parents got into a car accident. We're going to be babysitting tonight."

Cas opened his mouth, but hesitated. He didn't want to seem inconsiderate of the situation at hand, but he wasn't sure babysitting was a good thing. "I'm not sure it would be… appropriate for her to spend the night with me there."

Dean frowned, keeping his eyes on the road. "It's not like we're going to be doing anything in front of her, Cas. She'll pass out before us and I'll put her to bed, telling her you're sleeping on the couch and in the morning when you walk out of my room, we'll tell her you were just taking a shower."

"… and when she asks why I'm spending the night in the first place?"

Cas smirked at Dean's dumbfounded look. He had nothing. "Slumber party?"

"I don't think that's going to work."

"Benny's crashed at my place before. He came over to hang out and we watched movies until he fell asleep. I cooked him breakfast the next morning and he left."

"So you and Benny, huh?" Cas asked, smirking at Dean.

Dean glanced at Cas and saw his smirk, causing him to roll his eyes. "It was a completely platonic thing, Cas. All Haley has to know is that we've been hanging out all night and you're going to help babysit."

"But I'm her teacher. I think I should go home."

"The school year ends in a few months, right?" Cas nods. "Haley is still going to be in your life after that. Might as well get used to it now."

Cas smiled, leaning over and pressing a kiss under Dean's ear. Dean set his hand back on Cas' thigh, squeezing it gently as a way of kissing him back. The ride went back to being quiet like it was before they got to Dean's place, just enjoying the company and silence. As soon as Dean turned into Sam and Jess' driveway, Cas scooted over to his side of the car. He doesn't want Haley seeing them together in case she's waiting outside on them.

Once parked, Cas and Dean get out of the car. They walked up to the front door and knocked. Jess answered the door in a rush. "Hey, Jess. You okay?"

"No. I don't know what kind of condition they're in. We haven't told Haley anything, okay? We told her that Mom and Dad need Sam and me. So don't tell her any different."

"Of course not. You guys just be careful, okay? Call me when you find something out," Dean told her as he hugged her.

Jess smiled at Cas. "Hey, Cas."

Cas gave her a small wave before she hurried back down the hall. Haley come bouncing down the hall and smiled real big the second she laid eyes on Dean and Cas. "Mr. Novak! What are you doing here?" she asked as she ran up to Dean.

Dean picked her up and explained to her that, "Mr. Novak and I were hanging out tonight when your daddy called me. You don't mind hanging out with your stuffy ole teacher, huh?"

Cas gave Dean his best bitchface, making Dean smile at Cas, winking at him.

"No way!" Haley answered. "Can we watch more Star Trek?"

"I think it's a little late for you to be awake," Cas reminded her.

Haley pouted at Dean and Dean pouted at Cas. Cas rolled his eyes. "Tomorrow is a Saturday… I guess a few episodes wouldn't hurt.

"Yay!" Haley cheered, giving Dean a high-five.

Dean set her back down. "Go get your bag, Twitterbug."

Haley ran back to her room to get her things as Sam and Jess came up the hall. "Slow down, Haley," Sam chastised.

Cas smiled at the faint "Yes, sir." that came from her room. "Hey, Dean, Cas," Sam greeted. "I'll call Mom and Dad in the morning and see if they can take Haley tomorrow."

Dean shook his head. "I'll take care of it. You just worry about Jess and her parents. Let me worry about Haley."

Jess hugged Dean tight. "You're the best brother-in-law a girl could ask for, Dean."

Dean chuckled. "You're pretty awesome yourself, Jess."

She kissed his cheek and pulled away. "Let me see what's taking that girl so long," she said as she hurried back down the hall. Dean and Sam picked up the bags at their feet and took them outside to Sam's brand new Dodge Charger. Cas wasn't sure what to do with himself so he stood there and waited for Jess to get Haley.

"Is it okay for Cas to be… I mean, she's his student and all…"

Dean frowned at his brother. "It's not like he's sleeping with her, Sam. Jeez."

"That's disgusting, Dean. She's nine."

"I'm just saying, Sammy. There's nothing inappropriate going on."

"Is he staying the night?"

"Yeah," Dean said as he tossed Jess' bag into the trunk. "But don't worry about anything. We're going to be on our best platonic behavior all night. It'll be like a Disney movie."

"What are you guys going to do?"

"Meth," Dean deadpanned. He had no idea where this third degree was coming from.

"Dean…"

"I don't know what you're so worried about, Sammy. It's fucking ten at night. She's going to pass out in a couple of hours anyway. We're going to watch some Star Trek and then I'm going to put her ass to bed. In the morning, I'm going to call Mom and take Haley over to them. Okay, Dad?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "I just don't want her walking in on the two of you making out. I'm trying to keep her as innocent as possible for as long as possible."

"And I want to help you do that. Even if that means keeping her locked up in her room until she's thirty."

Sam smiled at his brother. "Thanks, Dean."

Dean smiled back at his brother but before he could say anything, he heard Haley calling out for him. "Speak of the devil…"

Sam watched his brother run into the house to get his daughter. Sam had no qualms about Dean and Cas watching Haley. He knew she was in two sets of the best hands she could be in. He just worried about his brother scarring his little girl. He's walked in on Dean making out before. There was nothing PG-13 about that.

Haley was ready to go which meant Sam and Jess could get on the road. They promised to call tomorrow to tell Dean what was going on and to check on Haley. After goodbye hugs, Sam and Jess left. "You ready to boldly go where no nine year old has gone before?"

"Yeah!" she cheered out.

Dean strapped her in the back seat as Cas got in the passenger seat. "Are you going to stay and watch Star Trek with us, Mr. Novak?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he told her.

^O^

Three episodes later and Haley was out like a light. Dean had tucked her into bed while Cas got ready for bed. Dean joined him and as much as they both wanted to fool around, neither of them wanted to take that risk of Haley waking up and coming into Dean's room. Cas almost slept on the couch, but thankfully, Dean talked him out of it. They both woke up early the next morning, but Dean got out of bed first. Cas was far too tempting lying their half-awake with his messy bed hair and groggy voice.

He crept down the hall and started breakfast. He didn't want to wake Haley before it was finished. She had a bad problem with eating all the bacon before he'd finished the rest of breakfast. Cas walked in not long after he started. He took a deep breath and smiled at the wonderful smell of French Toast and eggs and bacon. Cas stepped up behind Dean on his way to the coffee pot and placed a couple of kisses on the back of his neck.

Dean smiled at him as he walked away, smacking his ass as he went. Cas chuckled while he made his coffee. Once he had a big cup of java in his hands, he stood behind Dean and leaned against the island, watching him cook. Dean turned around and trapped him between his arms. "Dean, Haley could wake up at any moment."

"It's okay, Cas. We'll hear her open the door. Just shut up and fucking kiss me."

Cas smiled at Dean's demand and kissed him. The two of them got so caught up in finally being able to kiss one another that they didn't hear the door to the spare room open or close, and they sure as hell didn't hear the little girl sneaking down the hall, preparing to scare her uncle. Haley loved it when could get him. Dean always overreacted to the scare and screamed and jumped around like a little girl.

She snuck a peak to see where he was to figure out the best method of scaring Dean, but what she saw instead confused her. Her uncle and teacher were standing in front of the stove kissing. Dean had him pressed against the island with his hands under Mr. Novak's shirt. Mr. Novak had his hands in Dean's hair.

Haley wasn't sure what was going on. She'd walked in on her mom and dad kissing like that one time and they got onto her for sneaking around the house. Did that mean that Dean and Mr. Novak loved each other like her mom and dad? Were they going to get married? She got excited at the prospect of having Mr. Novak as her uncle. He was the best teacher ever and if he was around every time she got to hang out with Dean, then that would make her time here even better!

Haley didn't want to interrupt them, but the smell of the food on the stove was making her pretty hungry. She didn't want to get in trouble either. So she snuck back to her room and opened and shut the door again, this time doing it a little harder so it would slam shut instead. She took her time walking down the hall and when she got to the kitchen, Cas was sitting at the island and Dean was cooking breakfast. Haley smiled brightly as the two men greeted her. She was so excited. She couldn't wait to tell her friends, Molly and Brittany, about Mr. Novak becoming her uncle. They were going to be so jealous!

After breakfast, Dean picked up the dishes. "Alright, sweetheart, I hate to do this to you, but I'm going to have to take you over to Nana's." Haley didn't even respond. She just started pouting. Cas did everything he could not to chuckle at that overly exaggerated sad face. Dean turned around and saw her looking at him. He leaned against the counter and sighed. "I've got some things to get done before I have to go to work tomorrow. How about Thursday night you and me go see a movie? I'll come to pick you up from school and take you to go see whatever movie you can get into."

Haley's pout receded slowly before she nodded her head. "Deal."

"Awesome. Go get dressed," he said as he grabbed his phone off the counter. Dean glanced at Cas as he dialed his mom's number. "You don't have anything to do, right?"

"Nothing that can't wait until tomorrow."

"Awesome," he said before putting the phone up to his ear and hearing his mother greet him.

"Hey, mom. We've got a small situation," he said as he took the phone call outside so Haley wouldn't hear him. When Haley came back into the living room, she had her bag packed and ready to go.

"What are you going to do today, Mr. Novak?"

"I don't know. I think your uncle wants to hang out a little bit longer."

Haley smiled, trying to contain her happiness. She saw something she wasn't supposed to see and it was hard to not be happy about it. "Dean's fun to hang out with. There was one time we built a blanket fort in the living room and we had a war with Nerf guns."

"Dean has Nerf guns?"

Haley nodded. "Daddy and Uncle Benny does, too. Whenever we have family dinners at our house Uncle Benny and Dean and Daddy run around shooting each other."

Cas smiled at the thought of the grown men having a Nerf gun war. Before he could make any comments, Dean walked back into the house. "Well, look at that. You're ready to go!"

"Yup!"

"Nana said she was going to see if Brittany and Molly could come and play with you this afternoon."

"Yay!"

"You wanna ride with me?" Dean asked Cas.

Cas shook his head. "I think I'll wait for a more… formal time to take that ride with you."

Dean winked and snapped at him. "Gotcha," he said. "Come on, Haley."

"Bye, Mr. Novak!"

"Bye, Haley."

Cas sat back and sighed. He really hoped that today was just him and Dean holed up in Dean's house not doing a damn thing. Cas looked at the kitchen and decided to take care of the dirty dishes while Dean was gone. That way when he got back, there would be nothing getting in Dean's way of fool around on the couch. Cas got another cup of coffee before getting to work on the task at hand. He wanted to make sure he had plenty of energy for later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope Haley, Brittany, and Molly can keep secrets! O.O
> 
> Sorry this took so long to get out. It's been hell here at the Batcave. If you want to know more about it, you can go find my personal tag on tumblr. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long. :)
> 
> Thanks for reading, my sweets! Leave a review if you'd like! Until next time...


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... and I present to you... Chapter 12.

Once Dean got back from dropping Haley off at his parents' house, he was surprised to find a clean kitchen and Cas sitting on the patio out back reading and drinking coffee. He stopped and looked at the view in front of him and goddamn if it didn't feel perfect. He could imagine coming home to this ten – twenty – thirty years from now and getting this same feeling in his gut every damn time.

Dean tossed his keys on the counter and walked out back. He sat down across from Cas at the small table. Cas smiled up at him. "So what do you want to do? This is your last day off for four days."

Dean smirked at Cas. "I could think of a few things…"

Cas closed the book and tossed it on the table. He got up and walked over to the back door, looking over his shoulder, smirking at Dean, before going inside. Dean was out of his seat and pressed against Cas' back before Cas could even get completely in the house. Dean squeezed Cas' hips as they walked in, steering him towards the bedroom. However, before they could make it down the hallway, Dean's phone started ringing.

Cas stopped and Dean frowned. "Let it go to voicemail."

"It could be Sam and Jess," Cas reminded him.

Dean sighed. Cas was right. He walked over to his phone and saw who was calling. "It's Benny."

"I'm not going anywhere, Dean. Answer the phone."

Dean sighed again. He'd much rather get Cas out of his clothes than talk to Benny on the phone. "What?" he asked, answering the phone.

"Oh, I must've interrupted you. Cas there? Tell him I said _hi_."

Dean looked up at Cas. "Benny says _hi_ ," he said, relaying Benny's message. "Now back to the original question. What?"

Benny laughed at Dean. "I'll just cut to the chase. Jo and I are home and you and Cas are going to come out with us tonight. We're going over to Harvelle's to shoot some pool and drink some free beer."

"You know Ms. Ellen hates it when we all go over there and drink."

"Then I'll drink and you wusses can play pool."

"Hold on," he said before putting the phone against his chest. "Do you want to go out tonight? Benny wants to hang out at Harvelle's."

"What's that?" Cas asked as he closed the distance between him and Dean, wrapping his arms around his waist and leaning against him.

"A bar Jo's mom owns."

"Don't you have to get up early in the morning?"

"I do, but we could go hang out for a little while."

"Sure, let's go."

"You sure?"

"Same rules still apply. Still have to keep it publicly platonic."

Dean put the phone back to his ear. "Yeah. Got to make it kind of early though. I have to go to work in the morning."

"Sounds good to me, brother. We'll see you guys around six-ish?"

"Yeah, we'll be there."

Benny and Dean hung up. Dean set his phone back on the counter and wrapped his arms around the man in front of him. "Now, where were we before I got interrupted?"

Cas grabbed Dean's hands and pulled him towards his bedroom as he walked backwards down the hall. "I believe you were steering me towards your bedroom. I'm not sure why, though. Possibly a nap, maybe?"

Dean chuckled. "Sleeping is the last thing on my mind, Cas."

"Then what is on your mind?"

Dean put his hands on Cas' hips again, steering him towards the bed. He didn't answer Cas' question. He pulled Cas against him and kissed him. Their arms snaked around one another, pulling each other as close as possible. Dean's hands slid under Cas' t-shirt, digging his fingers into his back and dragging them down. Dean pulled away long enough to get Cas out of his shirt. Before he could pull Cas back against him, Cas grabbed the bottom of Dean's shirt and hauled it over his head.

Dean loved feeling Cas' hard chest against his, but he had other things in mind. He pushed Cas back. "Sit down," he said softly.

Cas did so, watching Dean as he knelt down in front of him. Dean grabbed the waistband of Cas' pants and boxer briefs, pulling them down a little, giving Cas the hint that even though he just told him to sit down, he needed him to get up for a split second. Once Cas was sitting completely naked in front of Dean, Dean grabbed him behind the neck and pulled him in for a kiss as he started to stroke him.

Cas pulled out of the kiss, sighing against Dean's lips. Dean knew Cas was concentrating too much on Dean's hand to kiss him properly so he moved his lips elsewhere. He started kissing on Cas' neck and chest, rubbing his free hand up and down Cas' leg. He kissed his way down Cas' chest, pushing him back as he went. Cas leaned back on his elbows as Dean's mouth finally found its way to Cas' growing dick.

Dean's blowjobs were the best blowjobs he'd ever gotten. Cas considered himself lucky having this kind of natural talent on his hands. Dean knew just the right amount of teeth to use and how hard to suck and God help Cas when Dean would pull Cas' dick out of his mouth and lick the head of his cock. The best part was Dean would look up at Cas when he did it. The beautiful green eyes and swollen red lips made Cas just want to fuck Dean's mouth. And when Dean did it to Cas just then, Cas grabbed a handful of Dean's hair and held the man's head in place as he started moving his hips.

Cas bit his bottom lips as he started moving Dean's head down every time he brought his hips up. Dean removed one of his hands from Cas' thigh and shoved it into his own pants, pulling his hard cock out to stroke it as Cas continued to pleasure himself. Dean had to pull back when Cas' went a little too far down his throat. He gagged on Cas' cock, which made Cas smirk. "Sorry," he said softly.

Dean chuckled. "No, you aren't."

"Part of me is," Cas told him as he shrugged.

Dean grabbed Cas' cock and licked it from base to tip. "Not this part."

Cas sighed shakily as he shook his head. "No, not that part."

Dean went back to sucking Cas off, grabbing his legs and pushing them back so he could have better access to Cas' balls. Dean pulled back to look at the sight in front of him and Cas could see it in his eyes. Dean wanted to fuck. Cas ran his hand down the side of Dean's face, bringing his eyes up to Cas'. "Soon," Cas told him as he grabbed his hand and pulled Dean onto the bed with him.

"I didn't mean to press– " Dean started to explain.

"I know you didn't," Cas interrupted him, knowing Dean would wait as long as Cas wanted. "I just want to do things the right way with you," Cas explained. "I don't want to rush things," Cas told him, even though he pushed Dean's pants and boxer briefs the rest of the way off.

Dean smirked, pulling Cas against him once Dean was completely naked. "The right way, huh? And this isn't rushing it?"

"Maybe a little, but I think we can make some allowances."

Dean chuckled. "I'll wait as long as you want me to wait, Cas."

"There you go again with the right words and shit," Cas said with a sigh. "That's the reason I don't want to rush it. That's the reason I want to do things right. You're an amazing guy, Dean Winchester."

Dean silenced Cas by kissing him. He never learned how to accept compliments and Cas laying here telling him he was amazing made Dean a little uncomfortable. Dean knew he was a catch that girls – and guys, alike – should consider themselves lucky to have, but hearing someone say that was a totally different feeling, and right now he just wanted to make Cas feel good.

Dean rolled them over, pressing Cas against the mattress as Cas wrapped his legs around him. They continued to kiss languidly as Dean rocked his hips against Cas, rubbing his cock against Cas'. Finally, Dean broke the kiss, trailing his lips down Cas' neck and chest, moving back down Cas' body. Dean kissed and licked Cas' hips, biting Cas softly as he moved closer to his dick. Dean moved around him at first, pressing kisses to Cas' spread thighs, but when Cas whispered _please_ , Dean stopped his teasing and wrapped his lips around Cas' cock.

Dean ran his hands up Cas' sides as he bobbed his head up and down on Cas' hard length. Cas grabbed one of Dean's hands, wrapping his fingers around Dean's as he held onto his hand. Dean brought his other hand down, using it to aid him in the blowjob. Cas didn't last much longer after that, calling out to Dean.

"Dean… Dean…"

Dean pulled back, continuing to jerk Cas off as he moved to kneel in front of him. "Are you going to come for me, Cas?"

"God, yes."

Dean smirked at Cas. His head was thrown back against the mattress, his eyes were screwed shut, and his mouth hung open. The man laid out before him was beautiful. Dean continued to jerk Cas off as he leaned over him, pressing the hand he was holding into the mattress above Cas' head. Dean rubbed his dick against Cas' ass and pressed his lips to Cas' ear. "Do it, baby. Come for me."

The hand Cas had wrapped around the blanket, grabbed Dean's shoulder as he came on Dean's hand and his own chest. Cas vaguely registered the smile he felt pressed against his ear before he felt Dean's lips on his neck. Dean moved his kisses to Cas' collarbone where he licked and sucked on Cas' sweat slick skin. Once Cas had come down from his post orgasmic high, he realized Dean was still hard and pressed against his ass.

"How rude of me," Cas said as he reached down and grabbed Dean.

Dean shivered as Cas started stroking him. "We can worry about me in the shower. Let's go get you cleaned up," Dean suggested.

Cas allowed Dean to pull him to his feet. He wasn't completely ready to be out of Dean's bed. He enjoyed the weight of the other man on top him, but he felt a little bad that he wasn't reciprocating the pleasure Dean bestowed upon him. Cas would make up for it in the shower.

^O^

Cas stood in front of Dean's mirror, inspecting the shirt he had on. It was a little big on him, a little too big, Cas thought. "Dean, you need to start buying smaller clothes."

Dean walked up behind Cas and pressed a kiss to the back of his neck. "Or, you could bring some clothes over here," Dean suggested. "I've got plenty of closet space," he pointed out.

"And that's not rushing things?" Cas joked.

Dean shook his head. "It's practical. If next weekend is anything like this weekend, you're going to spend the entire weekend here again."

"I did, didn't I?"

Dean nodded. "You're staying again tonight, right?"

Cas turned around in Dean's arms, looking into his big green eyes. "Yeah," he said softly.

Dean gave Cas a crooked smile. "Good," he said before kissing his lips. "Then it's only practical for you to have things to wear while you're here."

"Can we stop by my place so I can change? Maybe grab a couple of things?"

"Of course. I'm ready when you are."

^O^

At a quarter past six, Cas and Dean pulled up in Harvelle's parking lot. The second they were out of the car, Dean's phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket to see Benny calling him. Dean answered the phone. "Always the nagging girlfriend," Dean said. "We're here. You'll see me in a damn minute."

"I thought I was going to have to come turn the hose on you two."

Dean's arm shot out to stop Cas from going any further. "Hey, look, Cas and I are still a secret, okay? So, no jokes."

"Still? What in the hell are the two of you waiting on?"

"We can talk about it later, okay? Just no jokes, got it?"

"Well, there goes my fun for the night."

"You'll live. We're in the parking lot. See you in a minute."

Dean hung up and looked at Cas. Cas was looking around. "I know some of these people…"

"Huh? How?"

"They have third graders," Cas said, bringing his eyes back around to Dean.

Dean moved away from him slightly, realizing he was standing too close. "You're a grown up, Cas. You can have a little fun with friends at a grown up establishment."

"I'm not drinking."

"I won't either. Water for the both of us."

Cas nodded. He wasn't sure about this all of the sudden. What seemed like a good idea when presented to him earlier in the day, seemed like a really dumb decision now. Here he was at a bar with his secret boyfriend. It's not an image he wanted to portray to the town of Lawrence.

"Do you not want to do this?"

"No, no. I want to be friends with your friends."

Dean smiled at Cas. "Then let's go inside. Forget about the rest of the people here tonight, Cas. It's just us and our friends."

Cas smiled at Dean, nodding in agreement. Ignore everyone and focus on the ones that mattered. Cas could do that, right? He wasn't so sure he could after he walked inside, and by then it was too late. There were a lot more people inside the bar than the half empty parking lot let on. Cas followed Dean over to the pool table where Benny, Jo, Ash, and Pamela were hanging around.

Benny greeted Dean with a hug. "Where's Sammy?" he asked over the loud music playing on the jukebox.

"Jess' parents got into a car accident last night. He called me about an hour ago, told me they were alright. They're coming home tomorrow."

"Oh man… Where's Haley?"

"She's with Mom. She stayed with Cas and me last night."

Benny smirked. "Practicing?"

"Practicing?" Dean asked in confusion.

"Practicing. You and Cas… with kids."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Dude…"

"I know, I know. No jokes. I couldn't help it. I haven't talked to you in a week, brother. Cut me a little slack."

"No."

Benny rolled his eyes back at Dean. "How is everything? At least tell me that."

Dean looked over at Cas. Jo had pulled him into whatever conversation she was having with Ash and Pamela. "Perfect," he said, looking back at Benny.

Benny smiled at Dean. He hadn't seen that look on Dean's face in a long time. It was a smile he missed seeing. Dean was happy. He was calm. He wasn't worrying about his future or upset about what he felt like he should have but didn't. Everything was in place in Dean's world. Benny clapped his hand on Dean's shoulder. "Perfect."

For the next hour or so, Dean did his best to keep space between him and Cas. There were stolen glances and moments where Dean would butt into whatever conversation someone was having with Cas, but for the most part, he did his best to keep his distance so he didn't do something he wasn't supposed to. However, Cas' patience with this secret relationship business was starting to wear thing thanks to the waitress Dean seemed to be oblivious to.

It started about twenty minutes after they arrived. A waitress came up to Dean to see if he needed anything to drink. Cas watched her, making eyes at his boyfriend. Cas was about to let it roll off his back, but then she touched his arm and winked at him. Cas watched her walk away once she had his drink order, sashaying her hips a little more than necessary. He narrowed his eyes at the sultry minx. He knew then he was going to have to keep his eyes on her.

When he looked over to Dean, he found the freckled face man smirking at him. Dean winked at him before turning his attention back to Benny. Cas knew it was silly to think she was a threat, but he didn't take kindly to anyone flirting with his boyfriend. And for the past hour or so, that's what the girl did: flirt.

Dean finally walked over to Cas and leaned beside him. "Cas, if you look at her any harder, you're probably going to kill her, or at least make her trip."

"… and?" Cas asked. "Wait, so you know she's flirting with you?"

Dean chuckled, shaking his head. "Lisa always flirts with me, Cas. She's been flirting with me since she started working here."

"And you've never…?"

"No."

"Why?"

Dean looked over at her for a second before looking back at Cas. "She's cute and all, but I'd much rather have a tall, blue-eyed, elementary school teacher with a mouth like a Hoover," he said, winking at him before walking back over to the pool table where he was playing Benny.

Cas could feel the blush on his cheeks as he watched Dean walk away. The girl's flirting continued to annoy Cas, but Dean's words bounced around in his head anytime she got near him, and that made him smile.

^O^

Dean sat on the couch at the firehouse. One of the guys had put on some stupid sci-fi movie and everyone was sitting around watching it, giving witty commentary. He was having fun, but he would much rather be with Cas right now. It was Monday and Cas would be getting off work any minute. Dean was hoping he'd get a phone call or text from him.

He knew it was stupid to miss him as much as he did, but he wasn't really ready for the weekend to end when Sunday morning rolled around. They'd had a really fun time Saturday night with his friends and they went back to his place and just laid in bed and kissed and talked until they fell asleep. He really wished he had that to look forward to again tonight, but instead he was here with six other guys watching shitty movies, waiting for a disaster to strike.

When his phone vibrated in his pocket, he was excited. He knew it was Cas. He unlocked his phone and opened his text messages. He smiled when he saw Cas' name, but his smile fell when he read what Cas sent him.

^O^

Cas was happy his work day was over with. It wasn't that it had been stressful or bad, but it just meant one day closer to Dean being off work. When the bell rang at three o'clock, Cas reminded the class not to forget to study for their spelling test tomorrow. He stood by the door and told all the kids goodbye as they walked out, waiting for the few parents that came and retrieved their children from class to show up.

"Excuse me?"

Cas looked out his classroom door to find a blonde lady standing there. She smiled sweetly at him, making him smile back at her. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"I'm here to pick up Haley."

The all too familiar gasp that came from the little girl packing her bag at her desk made him chuckle. He looked at Haley. "Did you forget to give me another note, Haley?"

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Novak! That's Nana. That's my daddy's mommy," she explained to him as she started fishing the note out of her backpack.

He shook his head at the little girl, smiling at her frantic searching… until it dawned on him who exactly was standing at his door. He slowly turned to the door. "Oh," he said softly.

Mary smiled brighter at Cas. "Hi," she said.

"Hi, Mrs. Winchester. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, sticking his hand out towards her.

Mary laughed softly. "Please, call me Mary," she told him, shaking his hand.

Cas nodded. "Mary," he said. "I'm Cas – "

"I know exactly who you are," she interrupted him. "And the pleasure is all mine," she said, letting go of his hand.

"Here you go, Mr. Novak!" Haley said, thrusting the note into his hand. "I'm really sorry."

Cas chuckled as he looked at the note. "It's okay, Haley, but you really need to start remembering to give me these notes before class."

She looked upset, but she nodded her head. "Yes, sir."

"Go finish packing your bag, sweetheart," Mary told her. Haley nodded and hurried to grab her bag. Mary looked back at Cas. "You know, my son has that same glow to him," she said. "It looks just as good on him as it does on you."

Cas blushed. He looked down at his hands, smiling. "Th – thank you," he said softly.

"You're going to have to come for dinner this weekend. It's been awhile since I've had my boys under one roof," she told him before Haley walked up.

"I'd like that."

"Good," she said before taking her granddaughter's hand. "Tell Mr. Novak goodbye, Haley."

"Bye, Mr. Novak," Haley told him with as much enthusiasm as a scolded puppy.

He waved goodbye to the two of them, taking a moment to process that he'd just met Dean's mother. He quickly walked over to his desk and pulled out his phone and sent Dean a text message: _So, I just met your mother…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure there's a How I Met Your Mother joke in there somewhere, but I'm not funny enough to find it. Maybe something like "It took us twelve chapters to have Cas meet Dean's mom... and that's still faster than the show!"? I don't know. I'll go away now.
> 
> I had a couple of people ask about the tumblr. If you want to follow me, you can find the link on my profile. Follow at your own risk. I'm pretty boring and have a problem with swearing at Jensen Ackles in my tags...
> 
> Thanks for reading, everyone! Leave a review, if you'd like. Until next time!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Dean shot to his feet after reading the message. The other guys looked up at Dean.

"Everything okay, man?" Roy Wesson asked Dean.

"Um, yeah. Gotta make a phone call… just, uh, I'll be right back," he said as he quickly ran to the bathroom. It was the safest place to have a phone conversation since he couldn't go outside for fear of passersby overhearing him.

As soon as the door was shut and locked behind him, he called Cas. It's not that he didn't want Cas to meet his parents, it's just he didn't want Cas to feel pressured about anything. Meeting someone's parents was a big step in a relationship and they just talked about not rushing things.

"Hey," Cas answered the phone.

"Hey, Cas. How did – is everything – what happened?"

Cas chuckled softly. "Everything's fine, Dean. Your mother came to pick up Haley. She, um, she invited me over for dinner this weekend."

"Look, if you don't want to go – "

"I want to go."

"Wait, you want to go? What about not rushing things?"

"Dean, you've met and hung out with the only family I have left. You've received the Novak Stamp of Approval. You said you were in it for the long haul, well so am I, and this is one of those long haul moments, right?"

"Cas, I would love for you to meet my family. I just want you to be… comfortable," Dean wasn't sure that was the right word he wanted to use. He wanted Cas to make sure this is what he wanted to do. Mary had a way of making people do what she wanted them to do without them knowing they were doing it. It had something to do with her sweet smile and innocent nature. She probably smiled at him and said something kind and told him he was going to come to the dinner without even asking him if he wanted to, making Cas agree to it without even realizing what was going on. Dean was just thankful she didn't use her powers for evil.

"I'm comfortable. I'm fine, Dean."

"Good," he said, sighing in relief. "So, when is this dinner, then?"

"She didn't specify a date; just this weekend."

"She'll probably tell me all about it when I get off work."

"Speaking of work, I need to finish some things up here at school."

"Oh, okay," Dean said, trying to mask his sadness. He wasn't ready to get off the phone with Cas.

Cas smiled down at the papers on his desk. "I miss you, too, Dean," Cas said softly. "Call me later?"

"Yeah, I will."

They told one another bye and Dean sighed as he hung up the phone. He needed a new job; the kind of job where you went to work in the morning and came home to Cas in the evening. He slipped his phone back in his pocket and opened the door to find six guys standing there smirking at him.

_Shit._

"What?"

"Who's Cas?" Roy asked.

"Is she hot?" his brother Walt asked him.

"Already meeting the family. That's kind of a big step, son," Carl Bates said, smirking.

"You guys were standing there fucking listening?" Dean asked, angrily. He _really_ needed a new job.

"That's my fault," Martin Creaser admitted. "You jumped up in a hurry, looking a little frantic. Just wanted to make sure everything was alright."

"And waiting until I came out to tell you wasn't an option?" Dean asked them, becoming more pissed.

"Well, it's a good thing we listened. You wouldn't have said anything about her if we didn't overhear you talking to her," Lee Chambers pointed out, smirking at him because he knew he was right.

"Alright, guys, let him out of the bathroom," Daniel Elkins demanded, motioning for everyone to move back.

The group moved back out of the way, but Dean didn't budge. He was still pissed. Daniel motioned for him to get out of the bathroom. "Come on, Winchester. You know the guys are a bunch of women. Gossiping is what keeps them sane during down time."

Dean walked out of the bathroom and pushed past them, walking to his bed rather than going back into the living room to join the guys. "Whatever. Next time keep your fucking nose out of my fucking business."

Dean realized he shouldn't be _as_ angry as he was. He just hated hiding Cas from everyone, and honestly, he had no idea how his co-workers would take him being gay. Dean's always been very open minded when it comes to peoples' sexuality, but not so much for the guys he worked with. They've all said some pretty offensive things and Dean was pretty positive a couple of them would ostracize him if they knew.

Dean sent Cas a text message once he calmed down. _The guys overheard me on the phone…_

^O^

As soon as Cas hung up the phone with Dean, there was a knock on his door. He looked up to find the elementary school's music teacher, Anna Milton, standing there in his doorway. "Oh, hey, Anna," he greeted her, trying to hide his panic. Did she hear any of the phone conversation he had? He was pretty fucking stupid to talk to Dean with his door open, but usually all the teachers ran for freedom as soon as their classrooms were empty. He just assumed everyone was gone.

"Hey, Castiel."

"Are you having fun teaching the kids Beethoven yet?"

She smiled, tightly and nodded. She was acting weird. Cas and Anna found common ground since they were both new teachers here at Lawrence Elementary. They spoke often and she was usually smiling and laughing when they did, but now she was acting… like something was wrong. "Yes," she finally answered him.

"Everything okay, Anna?"

Anna moved closer to Cas' desk, looking down at her fidgeting fingers, as she asked, "Who were you talking with?"

Cas swallowed hard. She did over hear him. "That's kind of personal, Anna," Cas said, standing and gathering the work he told Dean he needed to finish. He would take it home instead.

"Who is Dean? Is he Haley Winchester's uncle? I overheard her and her friends talking about you and her uncle getting married. Castiel, if you're gay, you can't teach children."

Cas froze for a second. He stopped moving, stopped breathing. He looked up at Anna, doing his best to keep his voice steady as the highest level of anger he'd ever felt washed over him. "And why can't homosexuals teach children?"

"Because you'll give them ideas that it's okay to be gay. It's not, Castiel. It's a sin. It's disgusting."

Cas calmly set the papers down that he held in his hand. He didn't want to have to explain to the children why their drawings looked like they'd been put through the washer. "I think that's a matter of opinion, Ms. Milton. And since your opinion is wrong, I'm going to have to ask you to leave my room."

Anna took a step back. "I'm going to Principal McLeod."

Before Cas could stop her, Anna was out of his room and heading up the hall. Cas hurried after her, praying that the principal was already gone for the day, but as luck would have it, she was still there.

"Principal McLeod, we have a problem," Anna told her, barging into her office.

"Please, Anna, call me Naomi," the principal said for – what she knew – the hundredth time, motioning to her chairs. "Sit, tell me what's wrong."

"This man is a homosexual," Anna blurted out. Cas quickly shut the door behind him. There were people outside the main office and he didn't really want this to go further than this room if it could be helped. Naomi's eyes widened, not because of the information Anna gave her, but because of the unprofessional manner in which she was given it. Regardless of the reasoning, the expression caused Cas to panic. "I feel letting him teach children will inadvertently corrupt them," Anna continued.

"Is that so?" Naomi asked. "Anna, please take a seat. I'd like to have a word with you," she said kindly to the young redhead. She walked over to Cas and escorted him from the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Castiel, go home."

"Naomi, please let me explain – "

"Trust me when I tell you that I know exactly what you're going to say," she told him, placing her hand on his forearm and squeezing it. "Go home."

Cas felt like he was going to vomit. He nodded his head shakily and quickly left the office, heading straight for his room where he grabbed his things, and left. He sat in the abandoned parking lot for a moment, waiting for the nausea to subside, but the longer he sat there, the more he worried, and the sicker he felt. It finally became too much for him. He quickly opened the door and ran to the back of the car where he threw up.

When he finally got back in the car, he drove home. His mind was racing. He just knew he was going to be let go at the end of the school year. He'd have to find another job. He'd have to move. He couldn't leave Dean or Charlie. He would end up working at some burger shack slinging fast food for the rest of his life just because he liked men. How was he ever going to move out of Charlie and Gilda's house living on minimum wage? Dean wouldn't want to date some failure.

His life was over.

When he got home, Charlie and Gilda were arguing over what kind of material to use on some outfit they were making. "Look, Charlie, not everyone wants velvet on their dress."

"She obviously doesn't know what she's talking about. The Ren Faire she's going to is in the winter. She will freeze in all this stupid silk."

"It's her design. If she wants silk, we're going to give her silk. For all you know she has another piece she's going to add to it."

"Doubtful…" Charlie mumbled under her breath. Cas stood in the living room watching them argue for a second before they focused on him. "Cas?" Charlie called out to him as she got up. "What's wrong? You okay?"

"So, apparently, one of the teachers overheard Dean's niece talking to her friends about he and I and then she heard me talking to Dean on the phone after class. She went straight to the principal's office and told Naomi."

Charlie's usually happy face turned dark as she frowned at her baby brother. "She fucking did what?"

Cas just nodded his head, letting her know that she did in fact hear him correctly. Gilda got up and wrapped her arms around Cas. "It's going to be okay, Cas," she said softly as he wrapped his arms around her.

"What did Naomi say to you?" Charlie asked as calmly as she could through gritted teeth. She never got angry. She was always very happy-go-lucky, until someone fucked with her little brother.

"She wanted to talk to Anna alone. She told me to go home. She said she knew everything I was going to say and that I just needed to go home."

Gilda pulled away from Cas to look up at him. "That doesn't mean anything bad. Maybe she was just going to tell Anna to mind her own business."

Cas scoffed. "That would be too good to be true," he said softly as he gently pushed Gilda away. He walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a drink.

"Cas, everything is going to be okay," Gilda tried to reassure him. "Have you talked to Dean since this happened?"

Cas took a drink of the brown liquor in his glass. "No," he said, sighing heavily. He pulled his phone out of his bag and saw that he had a text message from him. Cas opened the message and read it aloud. "The guys overheard me on the phone…" Cas scoffed. "I guess it was only a matter of time before we slipped up," he said as he closed the message. "I'm going to go call him…"

Cas grabbed his drink and walked into his room as Gilda walked over to Charlie to try to calm her down. Cas called Dean's phone and was surprised he answered. "Look, I'm sorry. They don't know anything. They think you're a girl," Dean quickly tried to explain to him.

Cas shook his head even though Dean couldn't see him. "Dean, that's the least of our worries right now."

"What? What's wrong?" Dean quickly asked him. Cas explained everything one more time for Dean. "Fuck…"

"So, I'm going to drink until I pass out. I'll start looking for jobs tomorrow…"

"Cas, baby, it's going to be okay. Maybe she wanted to talk to this Anna bitch alone to tell her to keep her nose out of other peoples' fucking business. That seems to be going around these days…"

Cas chuckled. "That's what Gilda said. Albeit with less swearing, but that's what she said."

Dean sighed. "We'll get through this, Cas. Everything is going to be okay. Even if you get fired, we'll get through this."

"You mean you'll still date me even if I'm an unemployed school teacher?"

Dean chuckled. "I would date you no matter what, Cas."

Cas takes another drink. "And when I have to start stripping to support myself?"

Dean laughed a little harder that time. "I would make sure I was your only customer."

"Thanks, Dean."

Dean opened his mouth, but stopped the words that were coming out. He cleared his throat and said, "You're welcome," instead. He had no idea where the sudden urge came from, but saying three tiny words would have been doing a lot more than rushing things. The alarm went off at the fire station and Dean sighed. "Call me tomorrow, okay? Don't leave me here wondering what in the hell is going on out there."

"I will," Cas said softly.

They said goodbye and hung up. Cas looked down at the phone in his hand and smiled. He felt a little better about things. He wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the reassurance in Dean's voice – or both – but he felt better than he did before he got on the phone. Cas finished his drink and took a long shower. Even if he was going to be fired, he was still a teacher and he had things that needed grading.

^O^

When Cas got to school the next morning, he had no idea what to do. Should he stop by the principal's office and speak with Naomi about yesterday? Should he go on to class and act as if nothing happened? Should he call in sick? Cas took a deep breath and looked at his phone to check the time. He decided on option B since he didn't have the time for option A, and he wasn't going to let Anna win, so option C wasn't really an option to start with actually.

He held his head up high. He had nothing to be ashamed of and if anyone felt like he did, then they were the ones that should be ashamed. However, as he made his way to his room, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. All the other teachers and parents smiled at him as he passed by them. He made it all the way to his room without having any problems from anyone. Once all the kids arrived, he started class. He was relieved that everything was going so smoothly.

It wasn't until almost lunch time when his day started to take a turn for the worse. The kids were in the middle of reading for Cas when there was a knock on his door. "Molly, mark your place so you don't lose it," he told the little girl who had been reading aloud for the class. He walked over to the closed door and opened it to find Naomi on the other side of it.

Naomi smiled at the kids. "Hello, class."

The entire class greeted their principal with a loud "Hello, Principal McLeod!"

She turned her kind smile onto Cas. "Can I speak with you for a quick second in the hall, Mr. Novak?"

Cas nodded and turned to his class. "Know that I'm always listening…" he told them, playfully narrowing his eyes at them. A few of the kids giggled at him as he pulled the door closed behind him.

"Castiel, are you free for lunch?"

"I have lunch room duty," he told her. It was his week to make sure food fights didn't break out and the kids didn't get too rowdy.

"I'll get someone to cover you. I'd like to speak with you, if you don't mind."

"Is this about…?"

"Yes," she said, giving him a sad smile.

Cas gulped. "Sure," he told her.

"Thank you, Castiel. I'll see you at noon."

Cas nodded as she walked away. As soon as Cas walked back into the class room, the kids started poking fun at him, telling him he was in trouble with the principal. They had no idea how spot on they were. He let them joke for a moment before he asked Molly to continue reading. As soon as the lunch bell rang, the kids made a break for it. Cas let them. He didn't try to slow them down or tell them to stop pushing. He had too much else on his mind.

He made the long walk to Naomi's office. He'd never made this trek as a school kid and he's glad he never had to. The bad kids really were bad if they could face this fear and continue to be delinquents. As soon as Cas was in her office, Naomi asked him to sit down. "I won't keep you long, Castiel. I know you're probably hungry."

"Not so much, actually. It's amazing what the fear of losing your job will do to your appetite."

Naomi sighed. "I'm not going to fire you, Castiel."

"What?"

"You will get no recommendation for termination from me. I personally don't have the power to hire or fire, but I do have a small say so. I've seen you with the children, I've watched you teach. You are very good at what you do and your sexuality doesn't help or limit you in anyway. Not that it should. You see, Castiel, I am a very open minded person. I have a brother and a sister that are homosexual. I know what you go through, why you haven't openly came out. However, Ms. Milton is not as… understanding. She explained to me what she's heard from the Winchester girl and the phone conversation she overheard yesterday afternoon. When I asked her to politely mind her business, she refused. She plans to go above my head. I don't know if the school board will listen to her insane pleas for the 'children's well-being', but I wanted you to know what's going on."

"So, if they did decide to fire me?"

"They would be risking themselves a lawsuit if they did so because of your sexuality. However, they could dig to try to find a real reason to fire you. Until you knew you were in the clear, I would do everything by the book, Castiel. Don't give them a reason to fire you. You're new. You haven't made an impression yet – good or bad. You have no seniority, no reason for them to keep you. So don't give them anything. Don't give them a reason to fire you. If you have any questions or need someone to talk to, please come to me. I want you at this school, Castiel. I've heard great things from your school back in Illinois. You would be good for the students. And if they come to me and ask my opinion, I will tell them just that."

"Thank you, Naomi."

"I'll make sure to let you know of anything I hear. Until then, don't worry. Keep doing what you're doing, Castiel, and whatever you do, avoid Ms. Milton."

Cas chuckled softly. "I will, trust me," Cas said as he stood.

"Have a good rest of the day," Naomi told him, standing as she held out her hand for him to shake.

"Thank you, again," he said with as much sincerity as he possibly could as he shook her hand.

As soon as Cas left her office, he made a beeline straight for his room. He grabbed his phone and called Dean. He made sure his door was shut as soon as the phone started ringing on the other end.

"Hey," Dean answered with a groggy voice.

"Did I wake you?" Cas asked him, knowing how precious his sleep is while he's at work.

"Yeah, but don't worry about it. Tell me you have good news for me."

"I have okay news. My job is safe for now. Naomi told me that Anna plans to go to the school board though, but I have no idea what's going to happen after that."

"This is good news, Cas. It's not as great as what you want, sure, but you still have your job and that's all that matters, babe."

"You're right."

"Usually," he said with a soft chuckle.

Cas sighed. Dean was right. It was still good news. "I'll let you get back to sleep," Cas said softly.

"We'll celebrate Thursday night. I'll make you a steak."

Cas chuckled. "I can't wait."

"Me, either," Dean said, thinking about getting Cas back in his arms. Once he had Dean off the phone, he contemplated calling Charlie and Gilda to let them know, but he didn't have much time before lunch was over and he hadn't eaten yet. He'd need something to eat before the day was over with. He'd tell them once he got home. Right now, he needed food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not good with the conflict, so you guys bear with me, okay? It's a learning process. I'm an "All fluff, all the time!" kinda gal and this tension and drama is a different kind of beast to write.
> 
> Did anyone catch Naomi's last name... and who it belongs to in the Supernatural fandom? /giggles
> 
> As always my beautiful creatures, thank you so much for the reviews! I love to hear from you guys! Thank you very much for reading this story! Leave a review, let me know what you like (or didn't). Until next time!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long... there were people here that wanted to hang out with me and do stuff... things... I had to participate since they came from Louisiana to see me. Friends, man... always so needy.
> 
> Enjoy!

Dean gives himself a once over in the mirror one last time. He's just going over to his parents for dinner, but this wasn't just any dinner. Cas was going to be introduced to his family. Though, technically, his dad was the only one that hadn't met Cas, but it was still a very important dinner.

"Babe, your hair looks fine. Would you come on?"

"Are you sure? Are you sure I look okay?" Cas asked as he walked out of Dean's bathroom. Cas had come straight to Dean's house after work to get ready for tonight and he'd spent the last two hours getting ready. Dean had to move around him to get dressed for tonight.

Dean looked up to find his boyfriend standing there in a dark blue long sleeved shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He wore a black vest, a black tie, and blue jeans. Dean smiled at Cas. "You look amazing," Dean told him as he walked up to him, grabbing his hips and pulling him against him.

"Don't," Cas told him. "I just finished fixing my hair again thanks to you."

Dean smirked. "I can't help it, Cas. This tie and vest combination is fucking hot. Remember the bachelor party?"

Cas chuckled, remembering the black shirt and vest combo he wore with his red tie. Dean attacked him. Of course, Cas attacked Dean as well, but that wasn't the point. That clothing combination is what broke the straight man standing in front of him. "I remember. It was only two weeks ago."

"Feels like we've been together longer than that."

"That bad, huh?"

Dean smirked at Cas, shaking his head. "Hardly. It just feels like I've known you forever."

Cas rolled his eyes. "Stop being such a girl," he said, playfully shoving Dean's shoulder.

Dean laughed, throwing his head back as he stepped away from Cas. "You like it." Cas nodded. "But I'm serious. Maybe not forever, but for longer than two weeks."

Cas stepped up to Dean, wrapping his arms around the taller man's shoulders. "Some things just go together, Dean. We share a… profound bond." Dean gave him a look that told Cas he was being the girl now as Dean wrapped his arms around him. "I wasn't going to mention it, but you started it."

Dean leaned forward and kissed Cas. Cas pulled out of the kiss and started kissing across Dean's bearded jaw line and down his neck. "God, you smell so good," Cas mumbled against his skin.

"Cas, if you don't stop, I'm going to end up messing up your hair again," Dean warned him. He didn't want Cas to stop, but they were going to be late and Cas would be arriving with a smile on his face that told everyone why.

Cas chuckled and pulled away from Dean. "You'll have to excuse me. I'm trying to make up for the four days you were at work."

Dean grinned at him. "Later," he said, winking at him as he took his hand. "Let's get out of here."

^O^

Dean took Cas' hand as they walked up onto his parents' front porch. He knocked on the door and walked in, leading Cas. "We're here!"

John hurried out of the kitchen to greet his son. "So, this is Cas!" John said, completely ignoring his son. "It's nice to meet you, son. Mary hasn't stopped talking about how attractive you are."

Dean frowned. "Of course he's attractive. Do you realize who you have for a son?"

John smiled at Cas. "Arrogant son-of-a-bitch, ain't he? He gets that shit from his mother."

Dean rolled his eyes as Cas laughed. John laid his hand on Cas' shoulder. "Seriously, Cas. It's nice to meet you," John said as he stuck his hand out for Cas to shake.

Cas shook John's hand. "Thank you, Mr. Winchester. It's a pleasure to meet you, too."

"Please, call me John. You guys come on into the kitchen. Sam and Jess are on their way," he told them as he motioned for them to follow him.

Dean looked over at Cas to find him smiling from ear to ear. Cas turned his grin to Dean and Dean couldn't help but smile back at him, letting go of his hand to snake his arm around Cas' waist.

Mary turned to see them. "Hello, boys!" Mary greeted them as she walked around the island to give them a hug. "I made some appetizers to snack on while I finish dinner. I started a little later than I planned."

John set some small plates in front of where they stood at the island. There were various cut up fruits and vegetables and cheese and crackers. Dean grabbed a couple of cherry tomatoes and cheese blocks while Cas got some celery sticks and ranch dip. John smiled at how close Dean and Cas stood. Dean was leaning against the island sideways, facing Cas. Dean's hand was sitting on Cas' lower back, his fingers hanging on his back belt loop.

Dean dipped his tomatoes in Cas' ranch dip. "You know there's a whole bowl of it right there."

Dean looked Cas in the eyes as he popped the tomatoes into his mouth. "Mmhmm."

"Do you want me to get you some?" Cas asked, motioning to the dip.

Dean shook his head. "No, I'll just use yours."

Cas blinked a couple of times before he sighed and spooned some more dip onto his plate. Dean smiled at him, big and dorky. Cas chuckled and rolled his eyes as he went back to munching on his celery. John smiled at them. He was happy for his son. He wasn't like Mary. He couldn't see whatever it was she saw when people were in love, but he could see that his son was happy and that's all that mattered to John.

"So, Cas, have you heard anything out of the school board about this music teacher bitch?"

Cas looked a little shocked at Mary's language but Dean and John chuckled softly. "Um, no. I – uh – I haven't heard anything yet. She's been giving me the stink eye all week though. I've had a couple of the other teachers tell me they're on my side." Cas smirked. "One even told me I had good taste in men," he said, looking sideways at Dean. Dean smirked and shrugged, nodding proudly at Cas. Cas threw a piece of celery at Dean as he rolled his eyes. "But so far, everything's okay."

"That's great," Mary said. "I was so worried when Dean told me. Haley talks about you all the time, and if it's not Dean or food or cartoons, she doesn't care. So, you're obviously doing something right."

Cas chuckled. "I'm trying. The kids seem to have fun. Which reminds me," Cas said, looking at Dean, "we're going to be having career day next week. You need to be at the school next Thursday at eleven. I made sure to schedule it on your day off so you wouldn't have to miss work."

Dean gave Cas a blank look. He was just like his mother: sweet smile, telling you what you were doing without even asking first, but you're going to say yes because that's what they make you do. "Okay," Dean said. What was he going to do? Argue? Cas would just turn on his puppy eyes and Dean would agree to it then. Might as well cut out the bullshit in the middle and just go as he asked.

"Thanks, Dean," Cas said with a wink.

Dean just nodded his head and went back to eating his tomatoes. John and Mary looked at one another and John mouthed the word _whipped_ to her, making her turn away from him to hide her smile and giggle. Dean looked up when he heard his mother's laugh but before he could ask what she was laughing at, Sam , Jess, and Haley came through the door.

"We're here!" Haley announced as they walked into the kitchen. "Mr. Novak!" she said before running up to him and hugging him. "Mr. Novak, I'm so sorry about telling Brittany and Molly what I saw."

"What exactly did you see, Haley? That's what I want to know," Dean asked. "We didn't even hold hands in front of you."

Haley chewed on her bottom lip as she looked up at her parents. Jess motioned for her to tell them. "Go ahead."

Haley took a deep breath and said, "I snuck into the kitchen that morning to scare you, but you and Mr. Novak were kissing. I didn't want to get in trouble for sneaking around."

"So you went back and slammed your door so we would hear you before you walked back into the kitchen? You sneaky little shit," Dean said.

Sam, Jess, John, and Mary all hollered, "Dean!" as Cas just smacked the back of his head. Haley covered her smile with her hand as she giggled at her uncle.

"Well, she is!" Dean insisted.

Cas shook his head. "I can't be mad at her," he told everyone. He looked down at Haley. "You didn't know people would have a problem with Dean and me kissing, but it would be better if anything you saw Dean and I do you kept to yourself."

Dean picked up Haley. "It's okay, Haley. Next time you stay the night when Cas is there don't sneak around."

"Yes, sir."

Dean pressed a kiss to her temple before setting her down. "Now, we're all here. Where's the food, Mom? You had one job…"

"I guess I'll just throw that pie away and we won't have dessert."

Dean points at his mother. "Not funny…"

Mary rolled her eyes at her son. "It's almost ready. Eat some more tomatoes."

"What's up there?" Haley asked, looking over the island, but only seeing bowls and plates. Dean picked her up and sat her on the other side of him so he could stand beside Cas. "What are you eating?" she asked Dean.

"Tomatoes and cheese."

She scrunching her nose up at the mention of tomatoes. "Ew."

"They're good, Haley."

Haley shook her head. "Can I just have some cheese?"

Jess fixed Haley a plate with cheese and crackers on it and handed it to Dean. "You don't know what you're missing out on, Twitterbug."

"Cheese!" she said as she popped a block into her mouth and smiled at Dean. Dean shook his head as he popped a tomato into his mouth. Her smile fell. "Gross."

^O^

Once dinner was over and dessert had been had, the family sat around the table talking for a moment. "I've got some good news for everyone," Dean announced.

"You won the lottery?" John asked.

"You're pregnant?" Mary added.

"Pregnant? Really, Mom? Did I ask anyone to guess? Are you going to let me tell you?" Dean asked them. Everyone laughed as Dean sat up straighter. He laid his hand on Cas' thigh as he look at his parents. "I know how much you guys want me to stop working at the station and after realizing I have something to come home to every night," he said squeezing Cas' thigh gently as he glanced at him. "I decided to find another job, and as luck would have it there's an opening to be a State Fire Marshal. I talked to Rufus Turner, one of the other marshals, and he told me he would put in a good word for me."

"That's the best news I've heard in a really long time," Mary said, grabbing John's hand as she looked up at her husband.

John nodded his head. "It'll be nice going to bed not worrying about you, Dean."

"That's not all."

"So you are pregnant," Sam stated.

Dean gave him a bitchface before continuing. "I have an interview," Dean said. "Next Friday. If I get the job, it'll still be another month, though. The reason there's an opening is because one of the marshals is moving, but he's not moving until the end of the month."

Mary shook her head. "That's still great news. I have every ounce of faith in you. You'll get the job."

Cas squeezed Dean's hand, making Dean look at Cas, whom he found smiling at him. "I hope so," Dean said, winking at Cas.

Cas smiled a little brighter. "Me, too."

^O^

Once it got late, Sam and Jess took the sleeping Haley home. She'd fallen asleep on Dean a half hour before they finally decided to go. Mary started cleaning the kitchen and Cas immediately started to help her. John grabbed two beers out of the fridge and opened them up, handing one to Dean. "Come stand outside with me, Dean."

"That's fine," Mary told John. "Cas and I will clean the kitchen."

"Thanks, babe," John said as he escorted his son out the back door. Dean winked at Cas who smiled back at him.

John walked over to the stairs that led out into the backyard and took a seat. Dean followed him, sitting beside his father and looking up at the night sky.

"So, fire marshal, huh?"

Dean nodded, taking a swig of his beer. "Yup."

"Because you have something to come home to?"

Dean looked over at his father. "What?"

"How long have you and Cas been seeing one another?"

"A couple of weeks."

"And you're ready to change your life for him? I mean, don't get me wrong, son. I'm thrilled you're getting yourself out of danger, but… well, don't you think you're moving a little too fast?"

Dean chuckled and took another drink of his beer as he looked back up at the sky. "As corny and stupid as it sounds, being with Cas feels right. It's easy, like we don't have to try to make it work. It just works. I spent all last weekend with him. If he wasn't at work, we were together. It was like it's always been that way, like it was a normal weekend for us."

Dean looked over at his dad to find him smirking at him. "That's the same thing I told your uncle Bobby when I met your mother."

"Yeah, who are you to lecture me on moving too fast Mr. I-Slept-with-My-Girlfriend-on-the-First-Date."

John chuckled. "I just want to make sure you're doing the right thing for the right reasons, Dean. If this doesn't work out with Cas, are you still going to want to be a fire marshal?"

Dean shrugged. "I don't see why I wouldn't. I'd actually be able to talk about my job around you guys without Mom freaking out on me. I'd get my nights and weekends off like a normal person. I'd get the hell out of that fucking station. Those guys get a little weird on ya after a few days."

John chuckled. "I'm happy for you, Dean. I like the way he makes you smile," he said before taking a drink of his beer. "And I know you're mother isn't going to shut up about him for at least a couple of days."

Dean nodded. "He's pretty awesome, Dad. You should get on the Cas bandwagon."

"I'm on it, I just don't want to steer it."

"It's funner at the front."

"Funner? You're dating a teacher, Dean. Don't embarrass him."

"Shut the hell up, Dad," Dean told him as John threw his head back and laughed.

^O^

It was around midnight when Dean and Cas finally left his parents' house. Mary wasn't ready to let them go, but Dean was yawning and he was ready to crawl in bed with Cas. After hugs and promises to do dinner again soon, Dean and Cas got into the Impala and left. Cas sat right beside Dean with his arm on the back of the seat.

"So, what do you think?"

Cas smiled at the road ahead of him, watching as it passed underneath the car. "I'm jealous," Cas said softly.

Dean rested his hand on Cas' thigh. "Jealous?"

"I wish my parents were still around so I could bring you home to them. You would've loved my mom. She could bake a mean apple pie."

He knew Cas' parents were dead. He'd mentioned it in passing, but it didn't seem like the time to ask him for further details. He didn't even think about it tonight and he felt bad for not saying something. "I'm sorry, Cas. I didn't even… I should've made sure you were okay – "

"No, no," Cas quickly stopped him from apologizing. "Don't apologize for this, Dean. It was a great night and I love your family. I had a lot of fun and your parents are great."

Dean nodded, accepting Cas' reassurance. "What happened to them?" Dean asked softly.

Cas pressed his face against Dean's shoulder as he gathered his words. "It was a robbery. Some assholes broke into their house and my dad tried to defend them, but they shot him and then shot my mother. They tried to burn the house down, but… the cops caught them. They're in jail for the rest of their lives."

"When did it happen?"

"Nine years ago. Charlie and I were both at college. We both took a semester off to handle everything. I don't know what I would've done without her there. When she moved down here to Kansas, it was understood that I was to follow her. There wasn't anything in Illinois for us but heartbreak and tainted memories."

Dean grabbed Cas' hand and kissed the back of it. "I'm sorry, Cas."

Cas laid his head on Dean's shoulder. "Things are better, easier. Tonight just made me wish they could meet you. They would've liked you."

Dean rested his head on top of Cas'. "Well, if it's any consolation, my mom looked like she would love to adopt you."

Cas chuckled. "I don't know about dating my brother…"

"… well, I mean… we wouldn't be blood," Dean tried to rationalize it.

Cas shook his head. "Still, I'd have to introduce you as Dean, my foster-brother-slash-boyfriend. I don't think we live far enough south for that."

Dean laughed. "We could always move."

Cas laughed loudly, throwing his head back. "No!" he cried out, trying to get the horrible images of incest out of his mind.

Dean just laughed harder as he pulled up into his driveway. As he put it in park, he looked over at Cas, who was trying to catch his breath. Dean smiled at him. He cheeks were flushed and he looked like he had tears in his eyes from laughing so hard. Dean loved him. Dean loved Cas. This wasn't some infatuation or misinterpreting the honeymoon phase of the relationship. Dean was honestly and truly in love with Castiel Novak.

Cas looked over and saw Dean staring at him. He had a strange look of realization on his face and Cas frowned, slightly confused. "What?" Cas asked him. "What is it?"

Dean just shook his head, smiling crookedly at the man sitting beside him. "Nothing," he told Cas. "Come on. I'm ready to get you into my bed."

Cas' frown turned into a grin as he followed Dean out of the car and into the house. He was ready to get into Dean's bed, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so everyone is clear, that was not a crack at Wincest. If you ship, you ship it. I care not.
> 
> Anyway, so there ya go. Family dinner, Cas back story... what more do you people want from me? Jeezus... :P
> 
> Thanks for all the great reviews, guys. You all sure know how to make a girl feel special. ;) Leave some more love if you'd like. I'm going to go work on the next chapter! Until next time!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys best get some water and snacks. You gon' be here awhile. This chapter is 6k+ long because there wasn't a good place to stop really. So... you're welcome. ;)

It was Saturday night and Dean and Cas were lying in bed. They were both really tired from the day's activities. Sam called them Saturday morning inviting them out to the lake. Everyone wanted to spend the day on the lake having fun and cooking out, enjoying a nice sunny day on the water. They jumped at the offer and spent the day having a blast with friends and family. Once the sun started to set, Dean and Cas decided to head home. They wanted some alone time before Dean had to go back to work. Dean cooked them something to eat and after dinner they put on a movie that was ignored for making out, which turned into a little something more.

"Are you still awake?" Dean asked the man that was lying on his chest.

"Mmhmm." Cas was almost asleep.

"Are you sure this Career Day thing is a good idea?"

Cas frowned. He didn't want such serious questions minutes before he was about to fall asleep. Dean was really killing his drowsiness. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't it?"

"Well, I mean, I know a lot of the teachers have been supportive and everything, but me being there isn't going to cause any problems, right? Naomi said to play it by the book. I don't think having me there is playing it by the book."

"I don't see why not," Cas said softly. "When Mrs. Masters had career day for her class, her husband came."

"Cas," Dean said softly, and in a tone that caused Cas to look up at him. "We're a little different."

Cas sighed. "You remember the night of the bachelor party?" Dean nodded. "I'd talked myself out of liking you because I thought you were straight but I came anyway because I wanted to be your friend. You would be coming to Career Day regardless, Dean. Albeit, I probably would've asked you to do it before I signed you up, but I don't see why it matters that we're seeing one another."

Dean smirked at him. "So, as my boyfriend, you just take certain liberties?"

Cas smiled sweetly. "Obviously."

Dean shook his head as he ran his hands through Cas' hair. He had to bite his tongue. He almost said three little words, of which he was too tired to handle the repercussions. Instead, he leaned up to kiss the man. Cas hummed softly, happily during the kiss. He had the perfect idea. He pulled out of the kiss to tell Dean. "You should wear your suit."

Dean frowned and shook his head. "No way. That suit is heavy and it smells funny. The less I have to wear it the better. I will wear what I wear under the suit though," Dean told him.

Cas snaked his hand down Dean's torso until his hand was under the blanket. He wrapped his hand around Dean's cock and smirked. "What do you wear under the suit?"

Dean groaned, rolling over and pulling Cas against him. "Have you not come enough tonight?" he asked as he started kissing Cas' neck.

Cas moaned softly. "I haven't but I'm too tired. I thought I had the energy," Cas said, suddenly realizing the effort he was about to have to put forth. Had he not ran around the lake today having a Nerf gun war with Benny, Sam, and Dean, he could probably go again.

Dean chuckled against his neck, pulling back to look at him. "Let's go to sleep, Cas."

Cas kissed Dean before rolling over so his back was against Dean's chest. Cas felt Dean's almost erect penis against his bare ass and he smiled as he wiggled ass against it. "It sure doesn't take much to get you going."

Dean pulled Cas tighter against him. "It just doesn't take _you_ much to get me going."

Cas smiled against Dean's arm. "Good night, Dean."

"'night, babe," Dean mumbled against the back of Cas' neck.

^O^

Cas was excited. So far the kids had been really into Career Day. They were asking all kinds of questions and they seemed to be having fun. However, it didn't really ebb the feeling of nervousness he had in the pit of his stomach. Whenever Dean had asked him if he thought it was a good idea for him to be there, Cas honestly felt like there should be no problem, but the closer it go to the event in question, the more Cas worried.

Dean ended up getting there early. The turmoil that was running through Cas' mind stopped in its tracks when it saw Dean Winchester walk into the class room. Cas didn't expect the clothes Dean wore under his uniform to fit so… perfectly. The shirt was just the right amount of too tight and the pants hugged him in all the right places. Cas couldn't wait for him to leave just so he could watch him walk out. Cas gulped. Dean looked fucking hot.

When Dean walked in, Haley spotted him. He tried to sneak in unnoticed, but he should've known his niece's radar would go off. She waved at him spastically. He smiled at her and waved back in a calmer manner as he made his way over to Cas. He kept his distance from his boyfriend, which made him want to stand ever the more closer, but he knew the rules and this was the last place he wanted to break them.

"You're here early," Cas whispered.

Dean shrugged. "I got bored waiting around," he whispered back.

"So is this what you wear when you rescue tree bound felines?"

Dean looked down at his outfit before looking back up to see Cas biting his lip. Dean smirked and winked at him before paying attention to the Radio DJ that was answering all the kids' questions. Soon his twenty minutes were up and he told the kids to, "Keep on rockin', kiddies!"

Dean closed his eyes and shook his head, trying not to laugh at the man. Cas escorted him out and talked to the kids for a minute about what they'd learned. Then, eleven o'clock rolled around and Cas moved onto the next guest. "Alright, so I remember a few of you getting really excited when I told you a firefighter was coming to talk to you guys." The kids cheered and Cas motioned for Dean to join him at the front of the class. Cas laid his hand on Dean's back. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Dean Winchester. He's a firefighter here in Lawrence. Everyone say hi to Mr. Winchester."

The entire class greeted Mr. Winchester in a rather loud unison, except for Haley, who greeted him as Uncle Dean. Dean chuckled at her. "You guys can just call me Dean," he told the class.

"You have twenty minutes to ask Dean as many questions as you can think of. Remember to be nice and respectful," Cas told them as he moved away from Dean, going back to his spot in the back of the class.

Dean took a seat on the stool. "Okay, who's got a question?" A couple of hands go up and he picks one of the little boys sitting up front. "What's your question, Scooby Doo?" he asked the little boy with the Scooby Doo shirt on.

The little boy smiled. "What made you want to be a firefighter?"

"When I was a little kid, my house burned down. We woke up and the house was… just… in flames! My mom went to get my little brother out of his crib and got stuck in his nursery. The fire department came and rescued them. After that, I always wanted to be a firefighter. Had it not been for the Lawrence Fire Department, I wouldn't have my mom and baby brother."

"Nana and Daddy almost died?!"

Dean flinched. He didn't realize that might not have been the best story to tell with Haley sitting in the same room. "It was a long time ago, Twitterbug. Calm down."

Cas had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. He hid his smile behind his hand, hoping Dean didn't see him.

Dean quickly moved on with the questions. "What's your question, Pig Tails?" he asked the little girl in the back.

"Where's your fireman suit?"

Dean smirked, remembering Cas' request. "It's back at the station. When I'm not working, the station has the suits cleaned."

He pointed to a kid next to the girl in pig tails as he asked Cas. "Why didn't you give them name tags, Cas?"

"I didn't even think about it," Cas admitted. Dean was the first person to complain about it, actually.

"What's your question?"

"Have you ever drove the truck?!" he asked, way too excited for his own good.

"Not during an emergency. I took the truck to go get it worked on once. The chief is usually the driver."

He pointed to a little boy sitting up front. "How long have you been a firefighter?"

"Going on ten years."

"That's longer than I've been alive!" the same kid exclaimed.

Dean chuckled as he moved on, pointing to a girl sitting beside Haley. "Have you ever been hurt?"

Dean told her about the time he broke his arm and hurt his head. Thankfully, Haley didn't freak out at that story. The kids kept on firing off questions left and right. They all seemed pretty interested in what Dean did for a living. When Cas called time, Dean looked up and saw a lady in a pantsuit standing in the door with a smile on her face. Cas walked over to Dean with his hands in his pockets. "Alright, class. Everyone thank Dean for answering all your questions."

Everyone thanked Dean in unison as Dean got off the stool. "I had fun, everyone. Maybe one day you guys can take a field trip to the fire station and I can show you around." The class cheered as Dean looked over at Cas to see him shaking his head and giving him his usual bitchface. Dean smirked. "Maybe you guys can talk him into it, eh?"

"Dean's time is up. Everyone say bye."

Everyone told him 'bye' except Haley, who quickly got out of her chair and ran for him, giving him a hug. "Love you," she said quickly before returning to her seat.

"Love you, too, Twitterbug."

He winked at Cas before making his way to the door, waving at everyone as he went. The lady standing in the door moved into the hall as he walked out the door. "You must be Mr. Winchester," she said as she walked with him down the hall.

Dean stopped, smiling at the lady, trying to figure out who she was. He wondered if this was the Music Teacher Bitch. "I am…" he said cautiously.

She stuck out her hand. "I'm Naomi McLeod, the principal."

Dean's eyes got a little wider. This was his boyfriend's boss. He shook her hand. "Oh, hi. Hello," he stumbled over his greeting as he shook her hand.

"The kids seemed really enraptured by your job."

"It's the fire. It's bright and dangerous. You know kids," he said, shrugging and laughing softly at his own joke.

Naomi smiled at him. The only reason she came to the class was because Anna had walked by the room on her way to her own class room and saw him sitting there. She came and demanded that someone supervise the children while those 'sinners' were in the same room with all those children and that the school board would be hearing about this as well. So far, if the school board had heard about any of it, they didn't give a fuck.

"I do," she said, as she motioned for them to continue to walk down the hall. "I didn't want to alarm Castiel, but Anna spotted you," she told him, keeping her eyes straight ahead as she walked. "She asked that I supervise the two of you."

"Supervise us? Why?"

"God only knows," she said, shrugging. "I did so only to bear witness… should she decide to start playing dirty."

Dean frowned. "You mean lie about us? She hates Cas that much?" Dean asked in honest shock.

"If I were Castiel, I'd rather have all my bases covered," she told him as they came to a stop in front of the offices. "Thank you for coming to speak with the children, Mr. Winchester. Maybe they'll get to go on that fieldtrip after all."

Dean smiled at her as she bowed her head slightly before walking into the office. Dean liked Naomi. Anyone that had Cas' back was a winner in his book.

^O^

During lunch, Cas stayed in his office. He was trying to get his thoughts straight. He felt this weird feeling as he watched Dean interact with the children. He joked with them and spoke to them like adults. He knew Dean liked kids just by watching him interact with his niece, but there was something about today that just made Cas… it just made him… love Dean. He loved Dean Winchester.

And that scared the hell out of him.

Three weeks. They'd been together for three weeks. Not even three weeks. Saturday would make three weeks and here he was two weeks and five days into this relationship and he was in love with him. Maybe he didn't love him. Maybe he just _really_ cared for Dean. He couldn't be in actual love, right? This wasn't the movies, or some half-assed attempt at a romance novel. That was too soon. This was too soon.

Cas took a deep breath and shook his head, trying to calm himself down. He didn't want to rush things, but this was so far beyond rushing things that they looked like they'd been dragged down a dirt road by the speed of light. Today was just a really good day and everything went really well and Dean just looked super hot in those pants. It was just a combination of all of it. That's all.

Cas pushed it to the back of his mind and went about the rest of his day. When Cas got off work, he had to go back to Charlie and Gilda's to get his bag that he forgot to bring with him that morning. He was – of course – staying at Dean's house again this weekend and he was going to need things to wear. When he got to Dean's house, he pulled his car into the garage like usual, parking beside Dean's Impala. Cas always smiled over at the old black beauty sitting there beside his baby. They looked good together.

Cas opened the back door and found a shirtless Dean standing in the kitchen making dinner. His breath caught in his throat and all those thoughts he'd pushed to the back of his mind were right there smacking him in the face. This was it. This was his life. This was _the rest_ of his life. He felt his stomach flip. He was in love with Dean Winchester.

Dean looked over at Cas as he walked into the kitchen. "Hey, ba – are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost…" Dean asked him, worried about how shocked Cas looked.

Cas cleared his throat. If this was it, if this was what he was meant to have, what he was meant to come home to for the rest of his life, he'd take it. He shut the door and tossed his bag beside the island. "No, I'm fine," he told him as he walked up behind Dean and wrapped his arms around his waist. "What's for dinner?" he asked him as he pressed a couple of kisses to his shoulder.

"You sure?" Dean asked, looking back at Cas, still a little skeptical of Cas' quick mood change.

"Perfect," Cas told him as he pressed his face against the back of his neck.

Dean pulled Cas' arms a little tighter around him. "I was flipping through the channels this morning while I was waiting for the Career Day thing, and I saw this show making this pasta thing. So, that's what we're having. This pasta thing I saw on the Food Network.

Cas chuckled. "I'm sure it's going to be delicious."

"I'm not saying that this is going to rock your world, Cas, but it's going to rock your world."

Cas shook his head, chuckling at Dean. Yeah, he would happily take this.

^O^

Whenever Cas got to Dean's house after work Friday, he walked in on Dean having a phone conversation. "Speak of the devil," Dean said. "Hold on, Benny."

"Yes," Cas said before Dean could ask him anything.

"You don't even know what I'm going to say," Dean said as he watched Cas toss his keys onto the little table by the door and set his bag down in front of it.

"You're on the phone with Benny. He wants to hang out, right?" Dean nodded. "Probably at Harvelle's, right?" Dean nodded again. "And he wants us to go because he hasn't seen you in a week… right?"

Dean narrowed his eyes as he put the phone back to his ear. "Cas has you pegged," Dean told Benny. "We'll see you guys tonight."

^O^

On the way to the bar, Cas realized something. "So, the school knows."

Dean glanced over at Cas a couple of times before asking. "Knows…?"

"I'm gay."

Dean nodded. "They do."

"Do you realize what that means, Dean?"

Dean frowned, confused. "That you don't have to – ?" He chuckled as it hit him. "That you don't have to fucking hide anymore," Dean said, happily, slapping the steering wheel as he came the realization.

"That I don't have to fucking hide anymore," Cas said softly. He suddenly frowned at Dean. "Do you even like PDAs?"

Dean frowned back at him. "What do PDAs have anything to do with this? I've never even owned one. Who owns a PDA anymore?"

Cas' face fell into his hand. "Thank God you're pretty," he mumbled against his palm. "Public displays of affection," Cas explained. "PDAs. You seriously have never heard of that before?"

Dean shifted in his seat. "Of course I have," he said. He just didn't make the connection when Cas used the abbreviation.

"So, do you?"

"Yeah. Hell yeah. Cas, if you're wanting to know if I'm going to hold your hand or kiss you or touch you or whatever you while we're in that bar, you better fucking believe it."

Cas smiled at him. "What if someone from the station sees you?"

"Then they see me," Dean said with a shrug. "I kicked that interview's ass this morning, Cas. If I don't get a call Monday, I'm going to be surprised."

"Even if they do hire you, you don't start for another month."

"Still not caring," Dean said, shrugging again.

Cas smiled at him. "Okay, just making sure."

Once they arrived, Dean grabbed Cas' hand as they walked towards the bar. Cas bit his bottom lip, trying to contain his massive smile as he leaned against Dean's arm. Dean didn't even bat an eyelash as they walked in the bar. Cas noticed a few people notice them holding hands, but not Dean. Dean walked in like usual and headed straight for the pool table everyone was hanging around. Dean's nonchalant attitude towards their public displays made Cas unbelievably happy.

Benny was the first person to spot them. "Finally!" he hollered, causing the rest of their group to look. Jo, Ash, Pamela, Sam, and Jess all turned to see Dean and Cas walking up, hand in hand. This caused their small group to cheer, which made Cas blush. Dean took his hand from Cas to wrap his arm around his shoulder, pulling him towards him, kissing his temple.

"First rounds on me," Dean declared.

"He says in a place where the beer is free," Sam pointed out.

"The hard liquor ain't," Dean clarified.

"Shots!" Jo cheered, heading over to the bar to order.

Dean grabbed Cas' hand and pulled him over to the other side of the table where everyone was sitting at the tables against the wall. For the rest of the night, Dean paid no attention to anything outside of their immediate area. All he could see were the happy smiles on his family's faces.

Unfortunately, Cas saw something a little more. He noticed Lisa, the waitress that had been flirting with Dean the last time they were here, sulking in the corner and shooting him mean looks. Cas then noticed her talking to some guy. He looked to be about Dean's height but not as stacked, more Cas' size. Cas didn't get a good feeling when looking at the two of them talking.

Cas tried his best to ignore them, but then the guy got the pool table beside them and it wasn't so easy to ignore him after that. The guy and his friends started making gay jokes. After the first one, the group exchanged looks, except Dean, who smirked at the table as he tried to line up his shot. Everyone kind of followed Dean's lead and ignored the idiots beside them. Dean made sure to stand beside Cas and touch him when he could, even kiss him just because, but even Dean had his limits.

"Wait a second. Ain't that faggot a elementary teacher?"

Dean's jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the table. Cas tried to ignore them as he stood slightly behind Dean, watching the game over his shoulder.

"What? They just fucking let any _thing_ teach kids nowadays, huh?" the guy Lisa had been talking to said.

… and that's when Dean broke, and when Benny sent Jo to get her mom. Everything was fine in Dean's world as long as they didn't start talking about Cas. They could make all the jokes they wanted to make because it was all generalized. However, the second they started on the man he loved was the second Dean felt they needed to shut the fuck up.

Dean set his pool cue against the wall and walked over to the guy. Cas called his name, trying to stop him, but he didn't listen to him. He cleared his throat and frowned at the guy. "You got a problem, buddy?"

"Yeah, I got a fucking problem. You two disgusting faggots are my fucking problem."

"So, you're just going to stand here like a little bitch and make jokes all night? That your way of _solving_ your fucking problem?" The guy chuckled as he looked at Dean. "Why don't you just get the fuck out here, man? The both of us'd be happier."

"Actually, I think if you two cocksuckers left, the entire bar would be happier."

Dean rubbed his chin as he looked around. "Weird, I only hear you bitches complaining."

"You're the fucking bitch, bitch!" one of the guy's friends told Dean.

Dean nodded at him, giving him a thumbs up for his A+ comeback. Dean looked back at the guy. "Look, we don't want trouble. We're just here to drink and play some pool. If you've got a problem with that, then fucking leave. Easy as pie."

"How about you stop trying to tell me what the fuck to do, fucking fairy?"

Dean smirked. "You just got all the good insults tonight, don'tcha? Faggot. Fairy. Cocksuckers. You're good at this shit. What are you going to do next? Tell me to suck your dick? My boyfriend over there tells me I'm a natural," Dean said, waggling his eyebrows at him.

The guy apparently didn't like what Dean said. In a quick motion, he threw his pool stick down and pulled back and punched Dean in the face. That was all the fuel Dean needed. He stumbled back, catching himself on the table before the guy came at him again, but Dean threw a bunch, hitting him right in the jaw. The two of them traded a few blows before they fell to the ground, the guy falling, pulling Dean with him. Dean got on top of him, getting in a few licks before he got pulled off of the piece of shit.

Cas was grabbing his wrists, in his face telling him to stop as Benny continued to pull him backwards. Sam and Ash, who were holding the guy's two friends, released them just as Ellen came out from the back of the bar. She made Jo cut off the jukebox before she started hollering.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Ellen shouted, which sounded louder than it should've in the silent bar. "Who the hell are you?" she asked the guy, whose friends were pulling him to his feet.

"Tom," he said, spitting blood on the floor.

"Well, Tom, let me tell you something, there ain't no damn fighting in this bar, got it?" she asked as she looked over at Dean. "And you know better." Dean chuckled, wiping blood off his lip as he pulled Cas a little tighter against his side. "Someone going to explain to me what the hell happened?" she asked as she put her hands on her hips.

One of Ellen's other waitresses, Amelia, cleared her throat before speaking up. "Tom started it."

"He did not," Lisa defended.

"Who is this?" Ellen asked her, wanting to know why Lisa was defending him.

"That's my brother."

Ellen looked back at the other girl. "What happened?" she asked, wanting an unbiased recount of events.

The girl told Ellen how Tom and his friends were making gay jokes and Dean told him stop and Tom hit him. Ellen got in Tom's face, grabbing his shirt, jerking him towards her. "Let me tell you something, you asshole. If you've got a problem with what's going on in my bar, then you get the hell out and don't you come back," she said as she shoved him away. "And that goes for any of you," she shouted, addressing the rest of the bar. "That boy there is like family and if any of you have any problems with him _or his boyfriend_ , then the door is right over there. There's a big fucking exit sign right over it!"

The only people that left Harvelle's that night were Lisa, Tom, and his two friends. Dean and Cas left shortly after, since Dean's lip and cheek were bleeding. Dean went to get in the driver's seat, but Cas stopped him. "No, you sit in the passenger seat and lick your wounds."

"Are you mad at me?" Dean asked him, leaning against the car, pulling Cas against him.

"No, I'm not mad at _you_. I'm just mad and I want to go home."

Dean nodded and didn't argue. He let Cas drive them home. Once they got there, Cas pulled Dean into the bathroom with him, forcing him to sit down on the closed toilet. He grabbed the first aid kit he'd seen in Dean's cabinet the first time he'd stayed over and took a seat on Dean's lap, straddling him. He popped open the box that was sitting on the counter and pulled out an alcohol swab.

"That's going to burn," Dean said, hating the silence that was encompassing them.

"Shut up," Cas told him.

Dean frowned. "You're fucking mad at me."

"I just told you I wasn't fucking mad at you."

"Then why are you telling me to shut up?"

"Because I'm pissed the hell off and I don't need you talking right now," he said as he ripped open the little package and started cleaning the dried blood off of Dean's lip.

He hissed and pulled back. Cas leaned in and blew against his lip. He sighed, looking at Dean's busted lip. "We were just having so much fun, ya know?" Cas said as he looked down at his hands. "Everything was great."

Dean ran his hands around Cas and pulled him closer. "I know. Next time won't end like that."

Cas groaned. "I don't even want to talk about next time."

That pissed Dean off. He went from calm and hurting to angry in a matter of seconds. Seeing the disappointed look on his boyfriend's face made him see red. "There's going to be a next time and a time after that and a time after that and if I have to fight every last motherfucker in that bar so that you and I can go out and have a good time with our friends, then I'm going to fucking do it. We ain't any different than any else, goddammit!" he shouted as he stood, setting Cas on his feet as he did so. "I'm not going to let some narrow minded asshole ruin our lives, Cas. I love you and don't fucking care who knows."

Dean's words made Cas stop breathing. Cas wondered if Dean realized what he said, and uncertain – yet still rather angry – look on his face, he did.

"You love me?"

"… shit."

"That's not an answer," Cas pointed out.

Dean took a deep breath. "I do."

"Really?" Cas asked softly. Was Dean really on the same page as him?

"Yeah," Dean said softly as he grabbed Cas' hand, pulling him towards him. Cas stepped up to Dean, wrapping his arms around the bruised man. "I do. I loved you since the night we came home from my parents' house."

Not only was he on the same page, but he'd been there longer than Cas. Cas pressed his forehead against Dean's. "I love you, too, Dean," he said softly. He pulled back to look in his eyes. "I fell in love with you today during Career Day."

Dean smirked. "That's kind of… random."

"Love doesn't make sense, Dean."

"I don't know. Everything kind of makes sense ever since I've been in love with you."

Cas smiled brightly at him. _There he goes again with those corny words_ , Cas thought. Cas pressed a light kiss to Dean's lips, trying not to hurt him. He pulled back and looked up into Dean's green eyes. "I think we're ready, Dean."

Dean frowned. "Ready?"

Cas didn't answer Dean. He pulled Dean over to the nightstand and opened the top drawer, pulling out the lube and looking at Dean. "We're ready."

Dean grabbed the lube from Cas and tossed it on the bed, pulling the man against him. He didn't care if it hurt his lip, he was going to kiss the man standing in front of him, dammit. Cas' hands ran under Dean's shirt, loving the feel of his hot skin as he pulled him closer. Dean framed Cas' face as he kissed him slowly. He didn't feel like rushing this. He wanted this moment to last for as long as he could make it.

Dean pulled away when his lip started bleeding again. He wiped it off and sighed. All he wanted to do was kiss Cas. Cas pressed a kiss to the other side of his mouth. "Don't make it worse, Dean."

Dean ran his thumb over Cas' bottom lip. "I just want to kiss you."

Cas smiled. "My lips aren't going anywhere," he told him as he ran his hands under Dean's shirt, pulling it up and off. Dean started unbuttoning Cas' shirt, slowly running his nose up Cas' neck and along his jaw. It's where he'd be kissing him if he could. Once the shirt was unbuttoned, Dean reached up and pushed it off Cas' shoulders, watching as it puddled on the floor. He reached up and ran his hands over Cas' chest, running the down to the button on his jeans, unfastening the button fly and pushing it and Cas' boxer briefs to the ground.

Cas stepped out of his clothes and Dean bent down, grabbing the backs of Cas' legs and picking him up, wrapping his legs around before kneeling on the bed and laying the man down in front of him. "Dean, you have on too many clothes," Cas said, pulling on his belt loop.

Dean smirked at Cas as he looked down at Cas' growing dick. "I'll take them off in a minute," he said before bending down and sucking Cas down.

"… shit," Cas moaned as Dean bobbed up and down on his cock. He definitely wasn't lying to that Tom guy about Cas thinking he was a natural.

Dean continued to work him until Cas was so hard his dick was standing up on its own. His lip was killing him, but he didn't care. Seeing the breathless look on his boyfriend's face was worth fifty busted lips. Since his lip had stopped bleeding, Dean kissed his way up Cas' chest, licking and sucking on his nipples before nibbling on his collar bone. He kissed his way up his neck, finally let his lips find purchase on Cas'.

Cas started unfastening Dean's jeans, pulling his legs up so he could use his feet to pull his jeans and boxer briefs down his body. Cas sighed into the kiss as Dean's hard dick slapped against his ass as it fell out of his pants. Dean rocked his hips, rubbing himself against Cas as they continued to make out.

Cas pushed against Dean's chest. "Get the lube." Dean hesitated, which made Cas frown. "What?"

"I've never done this, remember?"

Cas smiled at him. "Get the lube."

Dean reached over and grabbed the lube he'd tossed on the bed a minute ago. Cas took it from him and grabbed his hand, pouring some into his hand. "Run it over your cock."

Dean grabbed his dick and worked himself until the lube coated him. Cas poured a little more and leaned back. "It's just like fingering a girl, only you go a little slower."

Dean looked like he was concentrating really hard on doing this right. Dean ran his hand over Cas' hole, getting all the extra lube in his hand onto Cas. Dean looked up at Cas as he slid in his middle finger, slowly fucking Cas. Cas smiled softly, closed his eyes and nodding his head. "Just like that."

Dean moved his finger around a little as he kept finger fucking Cas. He pulled his finger out and added his index finger the next time he slid back into Cas. Cas sighed softly. "Yes, that feels good, Dean."

Cas opened his eyes and saw that Dean was moving his hips to the movement of his fingers, his eyes fixed on his hand, his bottom lip pulled between his teeth. When Dean added a third finger, Cas' legs fell open further. "Stop teasing me, Dean."

Dean looked up at Cas, grinning at him. "Okay," he said softly.

He jerked his dick a few times before moving to kneel in between Cas' legs. Dean positioned the head of his dick at Cas' entrance, keeping his eyes on Cas' as he pushed inside. Cas balled the blanket up in his hands as Dean slowly pushed in further. Once Dean was completely inside of Cas, he fell forward, catching himself before he faceplanted right into Cas' chest. "Fuck," he breathed out. "Cas… shit."

Cas chuckled softly, reaching up to cup Dean's cheek in his hand. "Are you okay?"

"Just… just give me a second. I swear to God I'm going to come right now."

Cas pulled Dean down on top of him. Dean pushed his arms under Cas, cradling him as he anchored his hands on Cas' shoulders. He laid there for a short moment with his face pressed against Cas' neck. He started to finally move slowly, shallow strokes at first, testing the waters, letting Cas get acclimated to him. After another short moment, he started to pick up a little speed. Cas moaned in his ear when he came in at a certain angle, so he kept coming in at that angle.

Cas' fingers dug into Dean's back, trying to pull him closer even though there was no space between them. Cas pressed his lips against Dean's ear, panting against it the faster Dean went. It didn't take Dean long to reach his breaking point. "Cas, I'm about to come. _Shit…_ I need you to come first," he told him as he pulled back and reached in between them, grabbing Cas' dick and jerking him off.

Cas nodded his head, letting Dean know he heard him, but too far gone in the realm of pleasure to verbally acknowledge him right away. Cas leaned up on his elbows, wiggling a finger at Dean. "Come here," he mumbled breathlessly.

Dean had to use both of his hands to brace himself as he leaned down to kiss Cas. Cas grabbed his own dick as Dean kissed him. Dean broke the kiss resting his forehead against Cas'. "Can't last much longer, Cas."

Cas fell onto his back, closing his eyes as he continued to jerk off. Dean started kissing on Cas' chest, sucking and licking on every single part of him he could get his mouth on. "Fuck, Cas," he said as he nipped at Cas' nipple.

Cas grabbed the back of Dean's hair, pushing him against his chest as he gasped and came in between them. Cas clenching up sent Dean over the edge right behind him, where he collapsed on top of Cas after emptying himself into him. Dean moved up Cas' chest once he recovered from his orgasm. He loved the way their chests slide together because of the sweat and come. He pressed sloppy, wet kisses to Cas' neck, before just putting all his weight on Cas.

Cas wrapped his arms and legs around him. "That was pretty fucking amazing for a first time, Dean," Cas said breathlessly against his ear.

Dean chuckled. "You'll get used to it, Cas. I promise."

Cas chuckled, smacking Dean's shoulder hard enough to leave a handprint. "I hope not."

Dean pulled back and looked down into Cas' eyes. He pressed his forehead back against Cas'. "I love you so much, Cas," he whispered against his lips.

Cas smiled. "I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I'm not a Lisa hater. I never intended for her to be a bad guy, but sometimes you got to work with you got. A little trivia: Tom is actually Meg's brother from the show. Dean "wastes" a bullet on him in one of those season one episodes. :)
> 
> So. Guys. Sex. How was it? Was it good for you guys? Bad? Have you stopped reading because of the sex? PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME I PROMISE I'LL BE BETTER NEXT TIME! /wails
> 
> heh
> 
> It was actually nice how everyone was ready for the sex. Everyone was like "Sex now?" And I was like "Actually... yes." It's nice we're all on the same page. :)
> 
> Thanks for reading, my beautiful readers. Let me know what you thought of the super chapter! Leave me some love. Until next time!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, but I started watching Sons of Anarchy... and I kind... of... didn't stop until halfway through season three. Getting real tired of Jax's shit, yo. (If you watch it, please don't spoil anything for me. xD )
> 
> Anyway... story time. Go. Read. Enjoy!

Dean parked his car behind the fire house in his usual spot like he does every Sunday morning. This was the last place he wanted to be – for a couple of reasons. For one, he left a naked and thoroughly fucked Cas back home in his bed. They were like kids with a new toy. They hadn't stopped having sex since Friday night. Then, there was his face which looked like shit. He knew his coworkers were going to ask questions and he wasn't exactly sure what he was going to say. He didn't want to lie about Cas, but he wasn't sure he was ready to deal with the aftermath telling the truth would cause.

Dean took a deep breath. He couldn't very well sit in his car until his shift was over. He had to go to work. He grabbed his bag and headed inside. Daniel Elkins was the first one to see him. He was stocking the truck when Dean stepped through the door.

"Whoa! What happened to you?"

"Bar fight," Dean replied, hoping he didn't press for more details.

"Well, it's not the first."

Dean chuckled at Daniel. He and Daniel had worked together since Dean started. He knew all about Dean's past. It's not like there was much to know. Benny and Dean just had a… _tendency_ to get into fights when they were out drinking at Harvelle's. Playing pool only entertained Benny for so long.

Dean walked on past Daniel and headed upstairs. Roy and Walt Wesson were sitting at the table with Martin Creaser. "Damn, what happened to your face, princess?" Walt asked him.

Dean rolled his eyes. Being pretty for a guy was a never ending battle around the fire station. "Bar fight," Dean replied, walking past them and towards the sleeping area to deposit his bag.

"Wait a second!" Walt demanded. He wanted details. "What were you fighting over this time?"

Dean stopped walking. He tried to find some way to spin the truth, but he couldn't think of anything in the few seconds he was given. He turned around and found Daniel, Carl Bates, and Lee Chambers walking into the commons area. Everyone was here. He took a deep breath.

"Some guys were talking shit about Cas. So, I took care of it."

Lee Chambers chuckled. He could put two and two together. Dean's face was busted up and someone was talking shit about his girlfriend, must've been a fight.

"So what's this chick like?" Lee asked. "Must be pretty serious if you're going to fight over her."

Dean looked at each of them, worrying his lip between his teeth. This wasn't going to go over well. _What a way to start the week_ , Dean thought. "He's tall, good looking, nerdy. Real great guy."

Dean waited. The room was so quiet a pin could have dropped ten counties over and they would've heard it. The silence seemed to go on forever as the group of men exchanged looks. Dean turned to leave, hoping maybe he could just slip away and they wouldn't notice, but Roy stopped him dead in his tracks.

"You mean you're a fucking faggot?"

Dean hated that word. He hated it a lot. He turned back around to Roy, trying to keep the anger that was boiling at the surface right where it was. It wouldn't do anyone any good if he killed a man. "Man, you have a lot of tact there, Roy. You don't just call people that. Just like we don't call you inbred piece of shit."

Roy got to his feet, but Daniel stepped up. "Alright, alright. We're grown men, you two. Enough with the name calling."

Roy laughed at Dean. It wasn't a joyous laugh, but more of an I'm-gonna-beat-your-ass kind of laugh. Dean grinned at him. It wasn't a happy grin, but more of a bring-it-on-you-ugly-son-of-a-bitch grin. Dean knew this wasn't the last he'd get from Roy – or Walt, if the look on the younger sibling's face had anything to say.

"What are you going to do about this, Chief?" Walt asked. "I'm not sleeping in the same room with that… with Dean," he said, correcting himself as he remembered what Daniel had said about the name calling.

Daniel frowned at Walt. "It's not like he's got the plague, you idiot. If you got a problem with the sleeping arrangements around here, there's the goddamn couch," he told him as he rolled his eyes and headed back downstairs.

Dean took that as his opportunity to leave the room. He walked into the sleeping quarters and tossed his bag at the foot of his bed and pulled out his phone. He sent Cas a text: _Secrets out… This should be a fun week…_

He decided to make the best of his situation and get his chores done early, using his anger to fuel him.

^O^

Dean wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but he had all of Sunday to himself. None of his coworkers spoke to him. Once he was finished with his chores, he hid away in the offices downstairs and spent the day messaging Cas. Cas was upset about the whole thing. He hated that Dean was going through that after the great weekend they had with one another. Cas made sure Dean's house was spotless before he left Sunday. It would do little good now, but he knew that Dean would really like coming home to that. He felt like a house wife as he vacuumed Dean's living room. And that just made him laugh.

When Monday rolled around, Dean woke up to his phone ringing. He grabbed his phone off the nightstand beside his bed and quickly walked out. He didn't want to wake up the guys that were asleep in there with him. He didn't recognize the number, but he answered it anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Dean. Did I wake you?"

"Yeah, who's this?"

"The bearer of good news, Dean," the man said on the other end.

Dean recognized the voice then. "Rufus, hey man. Please tell me I got it."

"You did. Congratulations, Marshal Winchester. You start in exactly three weeks."

"Fuck yeah!" Dean cheered. "Thanks, man. This is great!"

"I'll see you soon, Dean."

Rufus hung up and Dean looked down at the phone blinking that the call had ended. He looked at the time and saw that it was eight. He knew Cas was working, but he had to call him and tell him. He took his phone into the bathroom when he noticed that Roy and Walt were asleep in the living room. At least he didn't have deal with their snoring.

He locked the door behind him and called Cas. The phone rang three times and Dean was prepared to leave a message, but Cas answered. "Hey, what's up? Everything okay?"

"Everything's great, babe. I just got a call from Rufus. I got the job."

"Dean, if I could scream right now, I would. I'm standing out in the hall. I'm going to call you back at lunch okay. I want all the details."

Dean chuckled. "Sure thing."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Dean hung up the phone and proceeded to make the same call to his mother and brother, letting them know the good news as well. He was so excited. He walked out of the bathroom and back over to his bed. He pulled on a shirt and headed downstairs. Daniel hardly ever slept and when he wasn't upstairs, he was downstairs in the offices.

"Hey, Dean. Didn't expect to see you up this early. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. I'm, uh, I got another job."

Daniel leaned back in his big, leather chair. "So then everything's not okay."

Dean chuckled. "Everything's fine, Daniel. Seriously. I'm just thinking about my future and I think it's better that I have a job where I'm not gone four days out of the week."

"So, then you're serious about this boy?"

Dean got nervous all of the sudden. Daniel always felt like a father to him – not that he needed one, but that was always their relationship. He felt like he was telling his parents he was bi all over again. "Yeah, I am."

Daniel smiled at him. "Alright. I'll get all your paperwork together. I'm going to miss ya, Dean."

Dean smiled back at him. "Thanks, Daniel. I'm going to miss this, too."

Dean went back upstairs to his bed and laid back down. He was too excited to sleep, so he thought about all the fun he was going to have with evenings and weekends off, how he was going to be able to sleep with Cas every night and wake up to him every morning, how he was going to be able to have that happy little life he always wanted, yearned for. Things were finally falling into place and Dean was excited to start living.

^O^

Dean smiled as he felt soft lips against his neck. He loved it when Cas woke up before he did, simply because Cas would wake him up with kisses. Or a hand job. And there was that blow job that one time. Dean hummed happily as he felt Cas run his nose along his jawline. It had been a week and a day since they told one another they loved each other – and they haven't stopped saying it since.

"Good morning," Cas mumbled against Dean's neck as he pulled himself closer to Dean's side.

"So far, so good," Dean replied, making Cas chuckle.

"I could make it better," Cas said, running his hand down Dean's chest.

Dean wasn't going to argue with him. "You always seem to find a way."

Cas chuckled again, wrapping his hand around Dean's cock. He ran his hand up and down Dean's growing erection a few times, but stopped the second Dean's phone started ringing. Dean groaned. "I thought we were past this."

"Answer the phone," Cas said, pulling away from Dean and getting out of bed. "I'll go make coffee."

"No, wait. Stay. I'll make it quick."

Cas chuckled as he walked out of Dean's room naked. "Answer the phone, Dean."

Dean groaned as he grabbed his phone off the nightstand. He rolled his eyes as he read Sam's name on his screen. "This had better be good."

"Why can't you just ever greet me with a _hello_?"

"Because you have this problem with cockblocking me."

Sam sighed. "We've got a problem, Dean."

"What? What's wrong?" Dean asked as he sat up in bed.

"Haley is in her room crying. Her friend, Molly, didn't invite her to the birthday party she's having today. Molly mentioned it to her at school Friday and Jess called her parents this morning to let them know the invite got lost in the mail… but they never sent one."

Dean paused. He felt sick because he already knew the answer to the question he was about to ask. "Why not?"

Sam took a second to answer. He didn't want to tell Dean, but his daughter was in her bedroom crying because her best friend's parents were dickbags. "Because… her uncle is gay."

"Shit… Fucking Roy and Walt…" Dean swore at Molly's uncles.

"We didn't tell her."

"What _did_ you tell her?"

Sam sighed. "That she and Molly can't be friends anymore."

"Because that's better…" Dean sighed. "I'm coming over there. Tell her Cas and I are going to come get her."

"Dean…"

"I'm serious, Sam. This is my fault. I'm not going to let her lay in bed all day crying," Dean said before hanging up on Sam.

"What's going on?" Cas asked as he walked back into the bedroom and sat beside Dean.

"Molly's parents are dicks. Molly had a birthday party today that _Haley_ didn't get invited to because _I'm_ gay," he told Cas as he got out of bed and stormed into the bathroom. "We're going to go get her. I don't want her to suffer because of me."

Cas walked into the bathroom. He stepped up behind Dean, who was turning on the shower, trying to get it hot enough. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and pressed a kiss to the back of his neck. "Dean, she's not suffering because of you, or me, or our sexuality. She's suffering because there are people out there that have a problem with it. She's suffering because Molly's parents are narrow minded assholes. This is not your fault."

Dean turned around in Cas' arms, pulling Cas tight against him. He sighed, pressing his forehead against Cas'. "Thank you, Cas."

Cas pressed his lips against Dean's, kissing him softly. "You're welcome," he whispered against them. "Come on," he told him as he pulled back to look into Dean's eyes. "Let's go get Haley. I have an idea."

^O^

When Cas and Dean walked into Sam and Jess' house, they found Haley coloring at the coffee table and Sam and Jess watching her. Haley looked up and smiled at Dean. She got up and walked over to him. He picked her up and kissed her cheek. "How are you doing, Twitterbug?"

She gave him a brave smile but tears came to her eyes. She just shrugged. Cas laid his hand on her back, making her look at him. "Hey, Haley," he greeted her. "I think I might have something that will make you feel better."

"You do?" she asked softly, shakily.

"It's a surprise. You're going to have to come with us."

"You want to hang out with us, sweetheart?" Dean asked her. His heart was breaking just looking at her puffy eyes and red nose.

She just nodded her head. Dean set her down. "Go get your shoes on. We'll get going when you're ready."

Haley walked to her room. Dean missed her excitement. She was always hyper and happy, now she was just sad and Dean hated it. Jess walked over to Dean and Cas, hugging them. "Thank you, guys. She really needed this."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "I just don't want you thinking this is your fault, though, Dean," Sam said. "It's not."

"That's what everyone keeps saying, but if I'd just kept my mouth shut until I could get out of the station, this wouldn't be a problem."

Sam frowned angrily. "So, you're just going to live a lie until you get out in the three weeks? You shouldn't fucking have to!"

"Sam!" Jess reprimanded him. Haley could hear him.

"No, I'm serious! You shouldn't have to hide the fact that Cas is a guy. This is fucking stupid and I'm tired of this being an issue! Who cares if they're both guys?! What does it matter?!" Sam asked, demanding answers from no one and any one at the same time. He stormed out of the living room and out the backdoor.

Jess sighed. "He's been fuming ever since that fight at Harvelle's. He was getting over it until this happened."

"Maybe I should go talk to him," Dean said.

Jess shrugged. "I don't think it's going to do any good, but you can try."

Dean squeezed Cas' arm, silently telling him he'd be right back before walking out the backdoor. Sam was sitting on the steps leading off the back porch with his head in his hands. Dean sat beside him. "Can't remember the last time I saw you that angry. You're usually the calm one. This is kind of strange."

Sam chuckled. "I'm – I didn't mean to holler like that."

Dean shrugged. "It happens."

"I'm just so angry, Dean. I'm so sick of this – of society deeming homosexuality some disgusting evil thing. Who does it hurt if you're in love with a man? No one. It hurts no one. You aren't doing anything wrong. But people want to threaten Cas' job and start fights with you and take their bigoted hatred out on my daughter all because they're – they're fucking assholes!"

Dean smiled proudly at Sam. He was happy to have his baby brother on his side, but he hated that it was doing this to him. "Sammy, you can't let them get to you. If it gets to you, then they win. No matter what they say or do or don't do, Cas and I are still going to be together. You're going to run into idiots no matter what you do. You just have to work around them and move on. I hate that this is affecting Haley, but she's nine. There's a good chance when she's our age these friends she has won't even be around. I want her to have what we had growing up, but I only want her to have it if she can get the friends we got out of the deal. Get her a dog. It'll make the both of you happy."

"I don't want a dog, Dean."

Dean nodded. "Sure you don't, Sammy. Look, take a breather. You and Jess get away. It's Saturday. Go do something. Cas and I will take care of Haley."

"What's the surprise?"

"If I tell you, it'll spoil it."

Sam frowned at his older brother. "It's _her_ surprise…"

Dean smiled and got up, patting Sam on the back. "Go have some fun, Sammy."

He walked back in the house to find Haley giving Jess a goodbye hug and kiss. "Ready, Freddy?"

"Ready, Freddy!" Haley answered back as Dean scooped her up.

He gave Jess a hug. "I told Sam to take you some place fun. Make him take you some place fun, Jess," he told her before kissing her forehead.

"I will, Dean."

Jess and Cas hugged before they left. Once everyone was in the car, Haley finally asked, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see, Haley," Cas told her. "It'll only take a few more minutes."

Haley didn't ask again. She stared out the window as Dean drove over to Charlie and Gilda's house. "You want some tunes, Twitterbug?"

She caught Dean's eyes in the rearview mirror and just shook her head. Dean knew she needed an explanation. Just telling her she couldn't be Molly's friend anymore wasn't going to cut it. She needed more information. She might not understand what he's telling her, but he had to tell her. "So, what did your mom and dad say about Molly?"

"Mommy just told me it was better that I wasn't Molly's friend anymore."

Cas frowned at Dean, placing his hand on Dean's leg, shaking his head slightly. He didn't think Dean needed to have this conversation with Haley, but Dean wasn't listening. He squeezed Cas' hand and pressed on. "That's it? They didn't tell you why?"

"No."

"Are you and Molly best friends?" Haley nodded. "Are you going to try to still be friends with her at school?"

Haley looked between Dean and Cas. She realized if she said no, and Cas caught her talking with her, she knew she'd be busted. She wouldn't be able to sneak a friendship behind her parents back with Cas watching her. This made her cry again. Thankfully, Dean was pulling into Charlie and Gilda's driveway at that point. Dean put the car in park and got out, opening the backdoor and pulling his crying niece into his arms. "Hey, listen to me, okay?" Haley looked up at her uncle. "I'm going to try and explain this to you, okay? You might not get it, but you deserve to know. Molly's parents don't like me and Cas."

"Why?"

"Because Cas is my boyfriend. They think Cas and me loving each other is wrong."

"Why is it wrong?" Haley asked, confused. She didn't get it at all. If people loved each other, they were supposed to get married.

"Because some people believe that guys shouldn't love guys and girls shouldn't love girls," Cas tried to help. He might not have agreed with it before, but seeing the little girl in front of him crying broke him.

"Why?" she asked again, still confused.

"It's just how some people think. It's what they believe. It's what they were taught," Dean tried to explain.

Cas knelt down beside Haley and Dean. "It's like cats and dogs. You're taught to believe that cats are supposed to be with cats and dogs with dogs, but sometimes, cats want to be with dogs. It's not that it's wrong, it's just different and people aren't used to it."

Dean frowned at Cas. "I don't know, dude. That's getting into different species. At least we're both human…"

"Dean…"

"I'm just saying."

"You aren't helping."

"I get it," Haley said. Cas looked pointedly at Dean, causing Dean to roll his eyes. "They're scared."

Dean nodded. "They are."

"I feel sorry for them," Haley said softly. "If you love Mr. Novak, then you should be able to be with him. I don't want to be friends with someone that doesn't want you to be with him."

Cas smiled happily at Haley. Dean nodded. "That should go for any two guys – or girls." Haley nods. "And you need to find out what Molly thinks. Just because her parents don't like us doesn't mean she doesn't."

"But Mommy and Daddy said…"

"Don't worry about what they said," Cas told her. "I won't tell if you and Molly are still friends at school, Haley."

Haley smiled at her teacher. "Thank you, Mr. Novak."

"So are you ready for your surprise now?"

Haley nodded happily. Dean could tell that she was starting to feel better. The bright happy smile on his niece's face made his heart swell. It was time to put his twitterbug back in a better mood. He picked her up and Cas shut the backdoor to the Impala. Once inside, Cas announced they were there, calling out for Charlie and Gilda.

Charlie met them in the living room. "So, this must be the lucky girl."

"Haley, this is Mr. Novak's sister, Charlie," Dean said as he set her down. Gilda walked in, making Dean point to her. "And that's Charlie's girlfriend, Gilda."

Haley looked up at Dean. "Like cats and dogs?"

Dean smiled down at her. "Yup!"

Haley walked up to Charlie. "I don't think that's weird."

Charlie frowned up at Dean. "We kind of had to explain homosexuality to her. It's a long story." Dean motioned to his niece, "It's a compliment," he clarified.

Charlie knelt down in front of her and smiled. "Thank you. You're a good person, Haley." Haley smiled back at her. "And you know what I do for good people?" Haley shook her head. "I turn them into princesses!"

Haley gasped. "Really?"

Charlie nodded. "Gilda and I are going to make you a dress!"

Haley cheered and jumped up and down clapping. "What do we say to Charlie and Gilda, Haley?" Dean reminded her.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" she said, throwing herself at Charlie and hugging her.

Charlie laughed as the nine year old tackled her to the ground. Once they were back on their feet, they got started taking measurements and picking out different types of material to use on the dress. Cas and Dean helped her as best as they could. They had no experience being princesses, but she still wanted their help. It took them all day to get it done, but by eight o'clock that night, Haley was dining on pizza in a very beautiful blue and green princess dress.

Dean smiled at Haley. "How would you like to go act like a princess?"

Haley's eyes got really big. "Where?!"

"Charlie and Gilda play this game where you act like people. Charlie is a queen and Gilda is a magical fairy. I think Queen Charlie might need a successor," Dean said, winking at Charlie.

Charlie nodded. "I do, Haley. Would you like to come play with us?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Haley said, almost dropping her pizza.

"I'll make you a mini dress like mine. Do you want to see it?"

"Yeah!"

"That should be _Yes, your highness_ ," Charlie corrected her.

Haley giggled and sat up straighter. "Yes, your highness," she said in a serious tone.

Charlie smiled at her and motioned for her to follow her. "Come on, Princess."

Charlie and Gilda took Haley into the back room to show her the dress. Dean smiled at Cas. "I think we did good."

Cas nodded, smiling back at Dean. "I agree."

Dean leaned towards Cas, kissing him under his ear. "Maybe I can get them to make you a prince outfit."

"And what would you be?"

Dean leaned towards Cas again, kissing him in the same place as he gripped his inner thigh. "Your man servant."

Cas chuckled and pushed his hand away. "We don't want to scar her, we just fixed her."

"You just wait until we get back home. I think I need to kneel before my prince," he mumbled against Cas' neck.

Cas reached up and pushed Dean's face away. " _You_ just wait until we get home. Jeez," Cas told him, making Dean throw his head back as he laughed at Cas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there ya go, kiddies. Chapter 16. I'd like to warn everyone that the story is coming to an end soon. It'll probably be an even twenty chapters. So... prepare yourselves, dears. Prepare yourselves.
> 
> Thanks for all the reviews last chapter. I get super nervous when posting sexy time stuff... things. So, thank you guys for all the comments! ^.^
> 
> Leave me some more love! Until next time!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean for this to take so long. Blame work and Sons of Anarchy.

Station life hadn't gotten any better since last week. Hardly anyone spoke to Dean like they used to. There were quick cordial conversations in passing, but barley any of them told him about their weekends or talked to him about what was going on in his life. The only exceptions were Lee and Daniel. He didn't mind it so much. It just meant he didn't have to put up with Walt and Roy's bullshit.

He was standing in the kitchen area, making himself a sandwich when the phone in his pocket started ringing. He quickly licked the mayo off his finger and pulled the phone out of his pocket. He felt a sinking in his stomach when he saw Cas' name on the screen. It was one in the afternoon on a school day.

"Hey," Dean answered. "What's up?"

"I've got bad news."

Dean set the knife down and braced himself against the counter. "Shit… what happened?"

"There's a school board meeting Wednesday night. Apparently some of the parents share in Anna's 'fears'. Some of them have talked about transferring their children, Dean."

Dean closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had an urge to break something. "What can we do?"

"I don't know, Dean. I have no idea and I'm freaking out. I was going to wait until after school to call you, but I couldn't wait. I have Mrs. Masters watching the kids."

"We'll figure it out, okay? Just… take a deep breath, go back to class, and call me when you get home. I'll figure something out."

"Dean, there's nothing we can do."

"There is. There's bound to be. Just… let me take care of this, Cas. They can't fire you for being gay. If they do, then we'll sue the shit out of them and you won't have to worry about a job for the rest of your life."

"Dean…"

"Cas, please?"

"… okay. Okay."

"I love you, Cas."

Cas sighed shakily. "I love you, too, Dean."

Dean hung up the phone just in time to hear Roy, who was sitting on the couch ten feet behind him, gag. Dean turned around, lip curling at the sight of the bastard sitting there. He could easily just take the kitchen chair and break it over his head, but Dean closed his eyes again and turned around. He thought about Cas and Cas' problem. Again, killing a man would do no good right now.

He opened his eyes and looked down at the food in front of him. He had no appetite. He felt sick to his stomach. He pushed the sandwich into the trash and put everything up. He went to the sleeping quarters and started pacing. There had to be a way to show the town of Lawrence that Cas was a great teacher and an awesome person. There had to be a way.

Dean pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Jess. "Hey, Dean!" Jess greeted him.

"Hey, Jess. I need your help."

"Sure. What's up?" Jess asked, worrying a little. Dean very rarely asked for help for anything.

"The school board is having a meeting Wednesday night. Apparently they're going to discuss Cas. Some of the parents want to transfer the kids because of him."

"Are you fucking serious?!" Jess, the usually calm and collected housewife, asked.

"Unfortunately," Dean said, rubbing his hand over his face.

"This has gone too damn far! I'll take care of this."

"Well, that's why I called you. I wanted to know if there was something we could do. You have a plan?"

"I do. It's okay, Dean. I have just the plan."

^O^

As soon as Cas got off the phone with Dean, he went back to his room. Mrs. Masters – Meg – was walking back and forth between her class across the hall and his class, keeping an eye on the both of them as Cas made his phone call. When he walked up, Meg could see the distress on Cas' face.

"Thanks, Meg. I owe you one."

"Castiel, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Cas nodded, checking on his students before moving out of the door to talk to Meg. "What's up?" he asked with a forced, tight smile on his face.

Meg looked him in the eyes for a moment before telling him. "The rest of the teachers here know what's going on Wednesday night and we're not going to stand for it."

Cas took a deep breath and stood up a little straighter. "Oh?"

"We like you, Cas. Sure, there are a couple of the teachers here that have a problem with your… choices, but there are more of us that want you here. The kids love you. I'm always hearing laughter coming from your room. We're going to be there to show our support. So don't worry."

Cas nodded. He was a little more relaxed knowing he had solid support here at the school. "Thanks," he told her. "That means a lot to me."

"You're welcome," she told him, patting his shoulder before heading back to her room.

Cas knew they couldn't fire him for being gay, but knowing that teachers and parents and students hated him for being that way was a worse fate. Being ostracized for something that was as natural to him as breathing made Cas feel so tiny. He just wanted to teach. He didn't understand why he couldn't just do that without having to suffer through all this shit.

^O^

Dean made sure that he was off Wednesday night. He didn't really care if Daniel okayed the leave or not. He wasn't going to miss this meeting for anything. He waited for Cas at his house. He was going to meet Cas over at Charlie and Gilda's but Cas said he wanted to be alone with him before the meeting at six. When Cas walked in, Dean was pacing the floor, hoping tonight would be pulled off without a hitch.

"Hey," Dean said as he walked straight up to him and wrapped his arms around him.

"Hey," Cas said, pressing his face against Dean's neck.

"How are you holding up?" Dean whispered against cheek.

Cas pulled back to look at Dean. "I want to cry and scream at the same time. I feel like I'm going to explode. My head hurts. I feel queasy. I just want this to all be over with, Dean."

"What do you want me to do? What do you need?" Dean asked Cas, cupping his face.

Cas leaned forward, kissing Dean, wrapping his arms around him tightly. Dean kissed him back, but he let Cas lead. Dean was here for Cas. He wanted Cas to take whatever he needed from him. Cas moved his kisses along Dean's jaw and down his neck. When the collar of Dean's shirt hindered Cas' kisses, he sighed, nuzzling his face against Dean's neck again.

Cas' fingers unfastened Dean's jeans before running his hands under his boxer briefs and palming his ass. Cas bit his bottom lip as he slipped his hand further down, running his fingers along Dean's hole. Dean's eyes got big. During all the sex they've had, Dean was always the one doing the fucking. He'd thought about bringing the idea up to Cas, but he wasn't sure if he was ready for that. But now, it didn't matter if he was or not. It's what Cas needed and he wanted Cas to take his mind off of all the bad shit happening to him right now.

Dean pulled away from Cas, grabbing Cas' hand in one hand and keeping his jeans from falling down with the other as he pulled Cas behind him on his way to the bedroom. Dean kissed him as he started to unbutton Cas' shirt. Cas pulled his glasses off, tossing them on the nightstand, before unbuttoning Dean's shirt. Once Cas had Dean shirtless, he pushed his jeans and boxer briefs off of him. He reached down and grabbed Dean's dick, stroking him as Dean continued to kiss him.

Cas turned them so that Dean was facing the bed, walking him backwards until the back of Dean's legs hit the side of the bed. Cas pulled away before pushing Dean down on the bed. Cas pulled his shirt off, tossing it behind him where the rest of their clothes were. Dean took advantage of the opportunity to pull Cas' cock out of his pants and into his mouth since it was right there in his face.

"Shit," Cas swore softly. Dean's mouth was always so warm and welcoming.

Cas let him suck him off for a moment, letting Dean get him completely hard. He pulled out of Dean's mouth, tilting the freckled face man's head back so he could kiss him. Cas broke the kiss so he could get out of his jeans and underwear before getting on his knees in front of Dean.

Cas ran his hands up and down Dean's thighs as he looked up at him. He kissed him again for a short moment before pushing on his chest. Dean leaned back on his elbows and watched as Cas started to bob up and down on his dick. Dean put all his weight on one elbow so he could run his hand through Cas' hair and along his back. He wanted to feel Cas, but he felt out of reach.

Dean grabbed Cas' hand and pulled on it, pulling him off his dick. Dean moved back to lay on the bed, spreading his legs for Cas and reaching out for him. "Come here," Dean beckoned in a whisper.

Cas hovered over Dean as he kissed him, rocking his hips, rubbing his cock against Dean's. Dean pulled him down on top of him. He was still too far away for Dean's liking. They laid there for a moment, kissing slowly, rocking against each other.

Cas finally pulled himself from Dean's arms and reached over to the nightstand drawer. He grabbed the lube out of it and poured some onto his hand. He bent over Dean again, kissing him as he rubbed the lube against Dean's hole, slipping a finger inside slowly. Dean moaned softly into the kiss. Cas barely heard him. Cas moved his kisses to Dean's neck and chest as he slide in another finger.

"That feels so good, Cas," Dean said, grinding down on Cas' fingers as he pushed them inside.

Cas smiled against Dean's chest. Cas added a third finger shortly after and Dean started riding his fingers. His head was thrown back into the pillow and his eyes were shut tight. His mouth was open slightly and the grip Dean had on Cas' forearm was bordering on too tight. Cas pulled his fingers out of Dean, which caused Dean to look at him. He grabbed the bottle of lube and poured some more into his hand, stroking his cock slowly as he poured a little on Dean's dick. They watched each other jerk themselves off for a moment before Cas pulled Dean closer. Cas positioned himself at Dean's entrance and locked eyes with him.

Dean nodded his head, letting Cas know he was ready. Cas slid his hand up Dean's chest as he pushed into him slowly. Dean's body tensed up and Cas stopped. "Relax, Dean. Relax," he told him, as he leaned forward, kissing him.

Dean relaxed and Cas slid all the way in. He stayed pressed fully inside Dean for a moment as he continued to kiss him, letting Dean get used to the feel and allowing himself a moment to calm down a little. Dean's arms and legs wrapped around Cas, holding him tight against him.

Dean pushed Cas back a little so he could tell him to, "Move."

Cas buried his face against Dean's neck as he started to rock his hips back and forth, moving in and out of Dean slowly. Both men were moaning and grunting. This time was more about a connection than any kind of physical gratification. It was about knowing the other was there and with them. This was what Cas needed. Dean could tell him that he was in this, that he would always be there, but there was something about being inside of Dean that made all that solidify in Cas' mind all over again.

Cas picked himself up off of Dean. He was close and he wanted Dean to come before he did. Dean reached out for him, but Cas grabbed Dean's hand and laid it on his dick. "I want to watch you jerk off while I fuck you."

Dean almost came right then. The look on Cas' face, the sound of his voice when he told him what to do… that shit was hot. Dean wrapped his hand around his dick and did as Cas told him. The sight made Cas fuck him a little harder, a little too hard for Dean, but Dean didn't stop him. He was okay and Cas needed this.

Dean ran his free hand up Cas' arm and over his chest as Cas alternated from gripping Dean's hips to holding his sides. Cas bent down and sucked on one of Dean's nipples, licking and nibbling on it, hoping that would help Dean. Dean started swearing under his breath, repeating " _Fuck._ " over and over. Cas knew he was close. He moved over to the other one, giving it the same kind of attention. Dean started pushing down on Cas every time he pushed in, like he'd done with his fingers. Cas couldn't take much more.

"Come on, Dean. I need to come. I can't last much longer."

"Close. Fuck. So close," he mumbled.

Dean started tensing up and Cas knew he was about to come, but the tightness around Cas' cock made him that much more closer to coming. Cas couldn't take it anymore. He slammed himself into Dean's ass and came. "Fuck!" he growled out. Whenever Cas pushed himself inside one last time, it hit that right spot for Dean and he came so hard that his come hit his chin.

Both men were breathing heavily. Dean ran his hand over his face. "Shit… goddamn, Cas," Dean mumbled as his arms fell to his sides and his body went limp.

Cas rocked his hips a little, closing his eyes as he enjoyed Dean's tightness against his sensitive dick. "You okay?"

"Fucking amazing," Dean told him. He looked up at Cas to find the man biting his bottom lip as he moved slowly inside of him. "You good?"

Cas chuckled as he opened his eyes. "Great. That was the best, Dean," Cas told him as he finally pulled himself out of Dean and collapsed beside him onto Dean's arm. Dean pulled Cas against his side. He didn't feel like ruining the moment with a smartass quip. Cas curled up against him, resting his head on Dean's shoulder.

They laid there in silence for a moment before Dean pressed his lips to the top of Cas' head. "Love you," he whispered.

Cas sighed happily. "Love you."

"Come on. Let's get up and get showered."

^O^

It was ten minutes until six when Cas and Dean pulled up to the school. The parking lot was full. Dean looked over at Cas to see the color drain from his face. Dean reached over and grabbed Cas' hand. "Just breathe, babe. Just breathe. Everything is going to be okay."

"You don't know that," Cas whispered.

"I do, actually," Dean told him as he scooted over to Cas. "Because no matter how tonight ends, we're going to go home and figure out what to do next. _Together_."

Cas gave Dean a small smile and nodded. Dean pressed a kiss to his temple before reaching over and opening the door for him. "After you," he said, motioning for Cas to get out.

As Cas and Dean made their way to the entrance of the auditorium, Cas noticed Dean's family standing at the entrance, waiting on them. Dean noticed at the same time and looked over at Cas to see tears in his eyes and a small smile on his face. Dean grabbed his hand, making Cas look over at him. "You okay?"

"You're right," Cas said, stopping their journey. "Everything's going to be okay."

Dean smiled at him, squeezing his hand. "Told you."

"Hey! Wait up!" someone hollered from behind them. Cas and Dean turned around to see Charlie and Gilda jogging towards them.

Cas smiled at Dean, happy that everyone was here to support him. It's not that he didn't think they would show up for the meeting, but it made him proud to know that they would. Cas wrapped Charlie and Gilda in a hug, pulling them tight. "I'm so glad you're here."

Gilda scoffed. "Where else would we be, Cas?"

Cas nodded. "I know, but…" Cas tried to form words trying to explain why it meant a lot to him as Charlie and Gilda hugged Dean.

"It's okay, baby bro," Charlie told Cas as she pulled away from Dean. "Let's get inside. I want to see this ginger bitch that's causing all this trouble." She noticed Dean's confused frown. He didn't understand why she wanted to see what Anna looked like. "That way I know who to jump should things not… go accordingly."

Dean nodded approvingly before grabbing Cas' hand again and pulling Cas against him. As soon as Dean's family was within reach of Cas, Mary grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. "I'm so sorry this is happening, sweetheart," Mary told him. "If you need anything – anything at all – you just let us know."

John clapped his hand on Cas' shoulder as Mary released him. "We're serious."

Cas smiled at them. "Thank you," Cas said in a shaky voice.

"Mom, Dad, this is Cas' sister, Charlie, and her girlfriend, Gilda. Guys, these are my parents, John and Mary, and my brother Sam."

"These are the girls that made Haley's dress?"

Cas and Dean nodded as Charlie told her, "Yes, ma'am. We had a blast playing with your granddaughter."

"Thank you girls for making my baby girl feel better. After what happened…" Mary took a calming breath. "Thank you," she repeated.

"It was our pleasure," Gilda told her, wrapping her arm around Charlie's waist.

"Come on," Sam told them. "It's almost time."

"Where are Jess and Haley?" Dean asked as they made their way into the auditorium.

"They're inside," Sam said, pointing to the front of the room.

Cas stopped in his tracks. Lining the front of the stage was his class – well, ten of them – wearing white t-shirts with rainbow colored letters saying _We love Mr. Novak_. Dean wrapped his arm around Cas' waist. "Come on," he whispered in Cas' ear, pulling him to walk with him.

"Did you know about this?" Cas asked him, not taking his eyes off the kids.

"I told Jess we had to do something; she took care of the rest."

Once they were at the front, Haley noticed her family walking towards the stage. "Mr. Novak!"

The rest of the kids noticed him as well and bunched up beside Haley, where her family was standing. They all greeted him boisterously, telling them they loved him. "I love you guys, too," Cas told them. "I love those shirts!"

"My mom made them!" Haley's friend, Brittany, told Mr. Novak.

"We don't want you to lose your job, Mr. Novak," a little boy in the front told him. "We want you to always be our teacher."

"Is Mr. Winchester your boyfriend?" a little girl in pigtails asked him.

Cas and Dean smiled at one another before Cas nodded, telling the kids. "He is, and I love him very much. Thank you guys for doing this for us."

"Why are people upset about him being your boyfriend? Are they jealous because he's so pretty?" the pigtailed little girl asked.

Dean pursed his lips, offended about being called pretty. John and Sam doubled over laughing while Mary giggled behind her hand. He even noticed Charlie and Gilda holding back their laughter. "Laugh it up," Dean told them. "Jerks."

Cas looked up at the little girl and nodded. "Probably," he told her.

Dean gave Cas a bitchface, but Cas just winked at him. "Aren't we supposed to be defending your right to teach these kids? When does that start?"

Sam clapped his hand on Dean's back. "Come on, pretty boy. Let's get the kids back in formation and get out of the way."

"I swear on all that is good and holy if you call me a pretty boy again, I will kick your – "

Cas slapped his hand over Dean's mouth, stopping him from swearing. "Dean…"

Dean narrowed his eyes at Sam, but Sam just smiled. He looked up at the kids. "You guys line back up. We're about to start."

Sam motioned for everyone to follow him over to the side of the stage where they found Jess, Benny, and Jo standing with a lot of other people. Cas finally noticed just how crowded the auditorium was. All the seats were packed; some people were sitting two to a seat. There were people standing in the back and on the sides. He was pretty sure they were breaking some kind of fire code with all these people here.

The crackle of the mic caught everyone's attention as Superintendent Crowley McLeod walked up behind the kids. Dean grabbed Cas' hand, pulling him against his side. It's not like anyone here didn't know they were together.

"Good evening, everyone," he greeted. "I'm Superintendent Fergus McLeod, but you may call me Crowley," he told everyone. It was one of those childhood nicknames you don't exactly remember how you got and one you just couldn't escape.

"I called this meeting tonight because I've been getting several phone calls from concerned parents. I'm going to be as… polite as I can be – even if some of you were rather rude about the situation at hand. The school board will never fire a teacher based on their sexuality. It is a blatant form of discrimination, even if the state of Kansas feels differently. Mr. Novak is an exceptional teacher. Midterm grades this school year were fifty percent higher than last year." He walked over to the end of the line of children and motioned to them. "As these shirts can attest, he's very popular with the children. I'm uncertain if you lot in the back can read the shirts the children are wearing, but they say 'We Love Mr. Novak' in rainbow colored lettering. Is that true, kiddies?"

The kids started cheering and jumping up and down.

Crowley chuckled. "I know that some of you are concerned about Mr. Novak teaching your children to be gay, but I assure you that we go over the syllabus of every single teacher and we didn't find anything in his lesson plans about teaching them to be gay."

The protesters finally caught on to the fact that they were being mocked. They all got very angry and started hollering at the superintendent, which caused Cas' supporters to holler back at them. Anna stormed the stage, taking the mic from Crowley. Dean nudged Charlie, giving her a pointed look as he nodded towards Anna. Charlie's eyes narrowed as she watched the red head closely.

"This is an outrage! You want us to take you seriously, but you refuse to do so for us! We do not think he will teach them to be gay, but that he will teach them that it is okay to be! It is a sin and it is wrong!"

"It's only weird if you let it be!" a very familiar voice shouted from the line of children.

Crowley took the mic away from Anna and walked over to Haley. "What did you say, sweetheart?"

"It's only weird if you let it be," she repeated into the microphone.

"Out of the mouths of babes," Crowley said, patting Haley on the back. He looked at Anna. "Ms. Milton, whatever you believe about homosexuality is your business. I'm not here to tell you that you're wrong or right, but I am here to tell you that it is none of your concern. What Mr. Novak does between the hours of three p.m. and eight a.m. is his business, just as what you do is yours. Until either of you are _breaking the law_ , I don't care. I refuse to fire a teacher because what he does _on his own time_ bothers _you_. His relationship with Mr. Winchester does not concern you," he told her before turning to the audience. "Or any of you, for that matter.

The protesters got angry again, hollering at the superintendent. He stood there and watched them, listened to them holler at him and each other for supporting Mr. Novak.

"Listen to yourselves!" he hollered. "Listen to what you're saying in front of these children, the names you're calling me, calling each other, calling him!" he said as he motioned to Cas. "You should be ashamed of yourselves. Mr. Novak will remain as a third grade teacher at Lawrence Elementary until the time he should no longer wish to work here. If you have any issues with our decision, please feel free to take your children elsewhere. And Ms. Milton," he said, looking directly at the redhead standing beside him, "If you call my office one more time complaining about anything Mr. Novak does, I will fire you."

Crowley turned off the mic and set it on the speaker as he walked off stage. The supporters were cheering louder than the protesters, but Cas could still hear their anger loud and clear. Dean ignored them and pulled Cas into a hug. "I fucking told you everything would be okay," he said, focusing on the bigger picture.

Cas chuckled, pressing his face against Dean's shoulder. "I've never been happier to be wrong in my life." Cas pulled away from Dean and hugged Jess. "Thank you, Jess. I am forever in your debt."

Jess hugged Cas back with just as much veracity as Cas. "Just keep Dean happy and we'll call it even."

Cas laughed and pulled away from her, looking over his shoulder at Dean. "I think I can do that."

Everyone hugged Cas, as he thanked them for being here and supporting him.

"Mr. Novak," someone called from behind him.

Cas turned and saw Crowley and Naomi standing there. Crowley stuck out his hand for Cas to shake. "Mr. McLeod." Cas shook his hand.

"Hello, Castiel."

"Naomi."

"I want to formally apologize that it came to this. I wish I could've spoken with you in private to ease your worries, but it's been rather busy down at the School Board," Crowley told him.

"It's okay," Cas told him. It would've been nice to know that this meeting was just to shut the community up, but he didn't care right now. His family was here and everything was going to be okay.

"And this must be the firefighter. My wife tells me you got the kids all riled up for a field trip," Crowley said, shaking Dean's hand.

"Yes, sir. I thought the kids might enjoy it."

"I bet they would. I'll see what I can do," he told him, patting Cas on the shoulder before leaving.

"I'll see you in the morning, Castiel," Naomi told him, squeezing Cas' hand before following her husband.

"This calls for a celebration," John said.

"We should all go down to that new seafood restaurant," Mary suggested.

"Our treat," John told everyone before they could answer.

^O^

Cas shot up in bed. He looked over and saw that it was one a.m. on a Tuesday morning. He had just had the worst dream of his life. He grabbed his phone and sent Dean a message: _You there?_

Cas prayed for a quick reply, but when one didn't come, he got worried. He'd dreamed that Dean died on the job. He was there in the dream, but he wasn't actually there. It was as if he was some kind of celestial being watching over the events but he didn't have the power to stop them. In his dream, he'd watched Dean and his crew run into a burning building. Dean was looking for someone, but every room he checked was engulfed in flames. The last room Dean ran into made him stop in his tracks. His eyes got really big and he brought his arms up to shield himself, but the explosion sent him flying and when his body landed, he was dead.

Cas had a sick feeling in his gut. He just wanted to hear from Dean. All he needed was a text, something to let him know he was safe, but Dean wasn't texting back and that made Cas' stomach churn. Cas got out of bed and pulled on some pants. He crept down the hallway and into the kitchen. He didn't want to wake Charlie and Gilda up. He fixed himself a glass of water, setting his phone on the counter and watching it as he drank, waiting for Dean to text him back.

But he got nothing.

Cas took a deep breath and shook his head. Dean was fine. Dean was always fine. Cas didn't need to worry about him. It was just a dream. He set his glass in the sink and grabbed his phone before heading back to bed. Cas got under the covers and closed his eyes, wrapping himself around his other pillow and imaging that it was Dean.

Cas didn't fall asleep right away. His mind continued to replay the dream over and over. Cas started combating the images with his own memories of all the fun times he and Dean had shared. That calmed his mind and allowed him to finally succumb to sleep, but right before he was finally back in dreamland, his phone rang. Cas shot up and grabbed the phone, that heavy feeling in his gut coming back in full force.

He looked at his phone, but he didn't recognize the number. He contemplated not answering a misdialed call at two in the morning, but he did anyway.

"Hello?"

There was silence for brief moment before someone said, "Hey, Cas."

"Sam?"

"Cas, you might want to come down to the hospital. Dean's been hurt."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I just fucking did that. This is for that time I didn't stop that chapter at "Hello, Dean." and I gave you guys blow jobs instead. Well, I mean, Cas and Dean gave the blow jobs… to each other… this just got awkward.
> 
> I'm off work Sunday (and almost caught up on SoA), so I should have you a chapter then. Thanks for all the reviews, guys! I love you all! ^.^
> 
> Let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All caught up on Sons of Anarchy. Getting real tired of that show's shit, y'all. Real tired. :|
> 
> Enjoy!

There was silence on the other end of the phone. "Cas? Cas, did you hear me?"

"Y-yeah," Cas said. "I – what do – Sam…" Cas stumbled with his words. He didn't know what to say or ask.

"I can send Jess to come get you."

"No, no. She needs to stay there," Cas said, not wanting to take Jess away from Sam. He knew Sam needed his wife if his big brother was hurt. "I'll get Charlie. Is he okay?"

"We haven't heard anything, yet."

"I'm on my way," Cas said, hanging up the phone.

Cas threw the covers back and pulled on some clothes. He took a deep breath and grabbed his keys. He could drive himself. He knocked on Charlie and Gilda's bedroom door, calling out to them to help wake them up. Charlie opened the door angrily. "What?"

"I have to go to the hospital. Dean's been hurt. I just wanted you two to know."

"Wait, what? Dean's been hurt?"

"Yeah. Look, I need to go. Just… do me a favor and call Naomi for me, okay? I don't know what's going to happen."

"Of course. Can you drive? Do you need me to drive you?"

"No, I'll be fine. Just call Naomi," Cas told her before hurrying out to his car. He drove like a bat out of hell on his way to the hospital. He hoped that by the time he got there, there would be good news waiting for him. When he walked in, he saw Mary and Haley at the vending machines. Mary looked up at him and tears came to her eyes. They walked towards one another. Mary wrapped him up in her arms.

"Have you heard anything?" Cas asked her.

"Not yet," she said softly as she pulled out of the hug. "We're not sure what happened. Daniel told us that he fell through a floor. A couple of the other guys went back in for him when they realized he didn't make it out with them."

Cas felt a pair of thin arms wrap around his waist. He looked down and found Haley attached to him. Cas picked her up and hugged her. "How are you doing, sweetheart?"

She pressed her face against his neck and shook her head, not saying a word. Mary rubbed her back. "She's been crying since we got here. I tried to get her some peanut M&M's but they don't have any." Cas looked at Mary confused, unsure what was so special about that candy. "It's her and Dean's favorite candy."

Cas hugged her a little tighter. "It's going to be okay, Haley."

"Come on. Let's get back," Mary instructed. She didn't want to miss the doctor.

Cas followed Mary to the waiting room where the Winchester family was seated. Benny and Jo were there with them. Cas set Haley down as everyone greeted Cas with hugs and sad faces. Sam was the last to greet him, telling him, "We still haven't heard anything."

"What's taking so long?" Cas asked, worrying even more.

As if on cue, a short man in a long white coat came around the corner. "John and Mary Winchester?"

John and Mary perked up, getting out of their seats. "That's us," John told him, wrapping his arm around his wife.

"I'm Doctor Gabriel Grayson. I'm here to tell you that Dean's doing fine. He's still unconscious, but his vitals are strong. He's got some superficial wounds: cuts, scrapes, etcetera; and he broke his leg. He's also got some pretty bad burns on his lower back."

"How did he get burned?" John asked, confused how his son could be burned if he was wearing his suit.

"We figure the suit came up when he fell through the floor and that's how he landed. We're not sure of the logistics exactly, just that we had to surgically remove the shirt he was wearing. That's what's taken us so long and kept me from updating you on his status. The good news is he's fine and we expect him to wake up soon and make a complete recovery."

Cas was so relieved he had to sit down. He leaned forward and held his head in his hands. He'd almost lost him. Tears stung his eyes. He pushed the heels of his hands against them, willing the tears to go away. There was no reason to cry. He was fine. Dean was fine. He felt two small hands on his wrists. He looked up and found Haley standing in front him, eyes swollen and nose red. "He's really going to be okay?" she whispered.

He nodded. "Yeah," he answered softly. "He's going to be okay. He's a little broken, but we can fix him, huh?"

Haley nodded, crawling up onto his lap. Cas held her as she settled against him, falling asleep as everyone relaxed and started the waiting game for Dean to wake up. He was a little surprised when he heard a soft snore come from the small body in his arms. Jess smiled at him from across the room. "You're the closest thing she's got to him right now."

Cas held her a little closer, trying to blink back his tears. John, who was sitting beside Cas, patted his leg. "We were almost out of the woods," he said sardonically. "Should've known it wasn't going to be that easy…"

Mary rested her head on John's shoulder, grabbing his hand and holding it in her lap. "It could be a lot worse, John," she told him, trying to see the silver lining in the thunderstorm. It just made him scoff.

^O^

It was morning by the time Doctor Grayson finally came back to the waiting room. "Dean is still unconscious, but you can go see him if you'd like. I ask that you keep it to two per visit. The room is small and the nurses are still in and out of the room."

Mary sat up, looking at Cas. "You should go first."

"No, you and John – "

"Go ahead, Cas," John said.

"I'll go with you," Sam said.

"I want to go," Haley argued.

"Doctor Grayson said two at a time, sweetie," Sam tried to explain.

"That's fine," Doctor Grayson told them. "She's small enough."

Haley smiled at the kind doctor as Sam picked her up. He led Cas, Sam, and Haley to Dean's room. Once Cas saw Dean, he completely forgot Sam and Haley were even in the room. He walked over to him, pulling a chair up to the edge of the bed. He gave him a once over. He was laying on his side because of his back. He had a deep gash on his forehead and several minor cuts on his cheek, arms, and hands. The large bulky cast on his leg was sticking out from under the covers.

Cas took Dean's hand carefully into his. He didn't want to hurt him. He pressed kisses to the cuts before pressing Dean's hand against his face. Silent tears fell down Cas' face as he looked at Dean. "I dreamed you were dead. There was an explosion and you died and then Sam called and told me – he told me you were hurt and… Dean, please open your eyes," Cas commanded softly. "I need you to look at me, Dean."

"It's okay, Cas. He's okay. It was just a dream," Sam told him. "He's alive."

Cas nodded. Sam was right. Dean was alive and he was okay; a little busted up, but he was okay. Cas reached up and ran his hand down the side of Dean's face gently, being careful of the cuts. "I just need him to wake up."

"Shake him," Haley commanded Cas. "That's how I wake him up."

"It's not that easy, baby," Sam told her. "He's not sleeping."

"But his eyes are closed."

"He's unconscious. It's like sleeping only he's sleeping _really_ hard. The only way Dean will wake up is if he does it on his own."

"But he needs to wake up now, Daddy," Haley said, tears spilling down her face. "Dean! Dean, wake up!" Sam held his daughter a little tighter as she cried onto his shoulder. "Daddy, make him wake up!"

"He will, baby. He'll wake up," he told her, trying to calm her down. "I'm going to get her out of here, Cas. Take your time."

"Come on, Dean," Cas coaxed him, trying to get him to wake up. "I know you need your rest. Just wake up long enough to tell me you're okay."

Dean's hand twitched against Cas' face. Cas held his breath as he saw his eyes flutter briefly. Dean sighed out Cas' name, but he was unconscious again before Cas could fully register what just happened. Cas pressed his lips to Dean's palm, willing him to wake up again, but it never happened and Doctor Grayson came with Mary and John.

"You don't have to leave, Cas."

"The limit…" Cas tried to explain, but Mary shook her head.

"Stay. He's going to want to see you first."

And Cas stayed. He took a seat behind Dean at the foot of his bed. His eyes stayed fixed on the burns that marred his back as Mary and John held one another while Mary cried. Cas stayed as Benny, Jo, Jess, and Sam took turns seeing him. Cas stayed after everyone left. And when Dean finally woke up, Cas was the first thing he saw, sitting in the seat beside his bed. He'd fallen asleep a couple of hours before Dean woke up. A nurse came in and covered him with a blanket.

Dean was in pain. He hurt everywhere and his back felt hot. He remembered clear as day what had happened. They were saving a family from an apartment above a furniture store that had caught fire. The family didn't know about the fire until it was too late to get out safely. Dean, Lee, and Roy had gone into the building to try to get them out the window. Lee and Roy were helping them as Dean went back through the apartment to make sure there wasn't anyone else. The family didn't speak English and none of the team spoke Spanish. Dean walked into a one of the kids' bedrooms and the floor collapsed. Dean fell through, but got stuck halfway. He tried screaming for help, but his head gear got in the way. He took it off so he could be heard, but he fell through. He cut his forehead and face as he did, the metal shelving below catching his fall.

Dean reached over and moved the blanket, grabbing Cas' hand and holding it against his face for a second, closing his eyes as he relished the touch. When Dean fell through that floor, the only thing he thought about was Cas. Before he passed out, he prayed he didn't die. He wasn't finished enjoying his life with Cas. He didn't want to be robbed of the future they had together. And now that his prayers were answered, he wasn't going to take a single second for granted.

The movement woke Cas up. He tried to pull his hand away from whatever was holding it, but when he realized it was Dean, he moved closer. "You're awake," Cas stated the obvious.

Dean nodded. "I am."

Cas kissed him. "Dean, I was so worried. I was so scared."

"It's okay, Cas," Dean told him. "I'm okay."

Cas sighed, frantically searching Dean's eyes, praying this wasn't a dream. "Are you? Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

"I don't know. What's wrong with me?"

"You have a broken leg and burns on your back."

Dean sighed, shaking his head. "How bad?"

"Second degree mostly."

"Mostly? What's the rest?"

"Third degree," Cas told him.

"Shit," Dean sighed out.

"They aren't going to do any skin graphing. You'll just need to take the time to heal."

"How long do I have to stay here?"

"A couple of weeks at least. They said that once the majority of it is healed, they'll release you."

"And my leg?"

"A clean break. You should be back on it in about six or seven weeks, but you'll have a walking cast for the last couple of weeks."

"I guess that means sponge baths, huh?" Dean said, smirking at Cas, trying to make light of his injuries.

Cas smiled at him. "Whatever you need, Dean."

"Just you," Dean said, holding Cas' hand to his face. "I just need you."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Dean smiled softly as he closed his eyes. "You're going to love me even if I am disfigured?"

Cas chuckled. "You'll always be beautiful to me, Dean."

"Look who's being corny now."

"You've taught me well," Cas told him before kissing him again.

As soon as Cas pulled away from Dean, Dean's grip on his hand went limp and his breathing evened out. Cas pulled himself from Dean's bedside to go tell the rest of Dean's family that he'd woken up. They were thrilled and as soon as Cas was finished telling them, he went back to Dean's room. He didn't want to miss Dean waking up again.

^O^

It was a couple of weeks before Dean was finally released from the hospital. His room had been decorated in 'get well' cards from Cas' class, pictures they'd drawn him, and items they'd gotten him. Cas came by everyday with something new for Dean. Cas would stay with Dean during the evening hours until he fell asleep, but on Friday and Saturday night, Cas spent the night. During the day while Cas was at work, Mary would come by and keep her son company and bring him something better to eat than hospital food.

It was during his hospital stay one evening that Dean came to a realization.

Cas had just crawled in bed with Dean, careful not to jostle him too much. His back and leg were healing nicely, but Cas didn't want any setbacks. "I need to move out of Charlie and Gilda's. I walked in the house this afternoon and all I could here were moans. I can't keep walking in on that."

Dean chuckled, hugging Cas against him. It was Friday night, which meant Cas would be in his bed until Sunday when he had to head back home to get ready for work Monday morning. However, the joy of having Cas in his bed was quickly replaced with the realization of Cas' words. Cas was moving out of Charlie and Gilda's. He'd always knew Cas wasn't going to live there forever. Hell, he'd offered Cas his help in finding a house when they first met. But Dean didn't want to help Cas find a place to live. He knew where he wanted Cas to live: with him. However, he didn't want to ask Cas to move in with him laid up in his hospital bed. He wanted to go about it in a rather corny fashion as Cas seemed to enjoy his corniness.

^O^

For the next few weeks, Dean helped Cas find apartments. Cas waited until Dean was in a walking cast and school had been let out for the summer before he started really searching. After Cas realized Dean wasn't going to ask him to move in with him, Cas put in a valiant effort to find a place to live. He'd hoped that time and the idea of getting an apartment – something that he wouldn't live in forever – were enough clues for Dean to pick up on that Cas would rather move in with him, but Dean never asked.

"I found this really nice one close by," Dean told him. "Closer than Charlie and Gilda's house. So you won't be far from me," Dean said as he wrapped his arms around Cas. "They're having an open house – so to speak – if you want to go check it out."

Cas was a little dumbfounded. Ever since school had let out, he'd stayed with Dean. He'd pretty much lived here for the past week, hanging out while Dean was at work, taking care of him when he came home. All of his wounds from the fall were healed but his leg. He would be out of his walking cast by next week, but Cas enjoyed taking care of the big baby. Regardless, he'd pretty much moved in and Dean was still trying to find him a place to stay.

"Yeah, sure," Cas said, slightly pissed off.

Dean knew he was taking too long to ask Cas to move in, but he needed help and help wasn't available until today. As soon as they were in the car, Dean sent a text message to Sam, who was sitting with Benny and Ash in the moving truck down the street. "Let me see if I can pull up the directions on my phone. I don't exactly remember how to get there," Dean lied.

"Whatever."

Dean tried not to laugh. He didn't want to blow his cover, but Cas was pretty cute when he was pissed. Dean started giving Cas random directions, getting him far enough away from his house that when he got the text from Sam telling him they were done and he started giving Cas directions back, he wouldn't catch on.

Once they were on Dean's street, however, Cas frowned at the passenger. "You just led us back to your place?"

"What? That's not right," Dean tried to play off. "Shit. Look, go back home and let me get the directions off the computer. Something's wrong with this piece of shit phone."

Cas was upset and tired and he didn't feel like getting directions to some apartment that he wouldn't want to live in. It could be lined in gold with its own butler and he still would rather live with Dean. Cas helped Dean into the house; and by helped it meant he walked beside him so that if he fell Cas could catch him. Once in the house, Cas stopped in the living room while Dean made his way to the bedroom to get the directions. Cas turned around, about to pace as he waited for Dean, but the piano in the corner caught his eye.

That was Cas' piano.

The piano Cas had put in storage because he didn't have a place for it at Charlie and Gilda's house.

"Dean?"

"Fits pretty good there, doesn't it?" Dean asked from where he was leaning against the hall's threshold. Cas spun around, looking at the smirking man. He was speechless. Dean had toyed with him all this time. "You know what else would fit pretty good here?" Cas shook his head at Dean's question. "You," he said simply. "You really think I would let you live anywhere other than here?"

"I was hoping you'd come to your senses," Cas told him as Dean walked over to him.

"I was never not with my senses, Cas. I want you to move in. I want to go over to Charlie and Gilda's and I want to pack up your shit right now."

Cas smiled brightly. "I don't know… there was that one apartment that seemed promising."

Dean smacked Cas' ass. "I'm not kidding around anymore."

Cas crashed his lips against Dean's. He wasn't kidding around anymore, either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that made up for The Horrible Cliffhanger of Chapter 17. ;)
> 
> Thanks for all the reviews, lovelies! Only a couple of chapters left, unless you want to see them do something specific. Don't worry, you'll get the LARPing event soon. xD
> 
> Leave me a review if you'd like. Until next time!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took forever to get out and sorry it's a little on the short side. Forgive me.

Cas had been laughing all afternoon. He would stop every so often for a couple of minutes at the most, but there was always a constant chuckle. His students had no idea why he was laughing and – for the life of them – they couldn't get him to tell them why. So, when he walked in from the garage chuckling softly, Dean had to know what was putting the smile on his boyfriend's face.

"What's up, Chuckles?"

Cas set his bag down by the door as per usual, kicking off his shoes before walking over to where Dean was sitting on the couch watching TV. His new job allowed him to set his own schedule and on Friday afternoons he made sure he was home before Cas.

"It might've taken almost a year, but the best thing happened today," Cas said as he sat on the end of the couch, setting his feet in Dean's lap. Dean gave him an expectant look, waiting on him to finish. "Anna was fired today."

Dean burst out laughing, holding his stomach as the sound of his hearty laugh filled the house. "Why? Oh my God, why was she fired? What in the hell did she do?"

"Well, turns out she told some of the Jewish kids there was nothing they could do to get into heaven since they killed Jesus." Dean started laughing again, even harder than before. "Dean, we should not be laughing at this! I'm pretty sure this is going to send _us_ to hell."

Dean looked over at Cas and winked. "I'm pretty sure the shit we did last night is what's going to send us to hell, Cas, not laughing at that dumb bitch. What the fuck was she thinking telling those kids that?"

"Religious zealots… You know, she seemed so normal when I first met her."

"The crazy ones always do."

Cas poked Dean in the side with his toes. "Does that mean you're going turn on me? String me up and skin me alive?"

"The fact that that's a scenario in your head makes me think I should worry about _you_."

Cas shrugged. "I never said I was normal. That's an assumption you made on your own. Besides," Cas told him as he crawled onto Dean's lap. "I believe it's far too late to turn back now."

Dean smiled up at the man straddling him. He removed Cas' glasses, tossing them on the end table beside the couch. "The couple that kills together, stays together, right?"

"Something like that," Cas mumbled as he leaned forward, kissing Dean softly.

Dean smiled into the kiss as he pulled the back of Cas' shirt out of his pants, sliding his hands underneath. Cas ran his hands through Dean's hair, tilting the man's head a little more to the side for a better angle. Before Dean could get Cas out of his shirt, someone knocked on the door.

Cas pulled out of the kiss, frowning at the sound of that rhythmic knock. "Why is Sam here?"

Dean's head fell back against the couch. "Sorry, I invited everyone over for drinks before we all head out. I didn't mean for them to be this early."

"Because there's not enough alcohol at the bowling alley?"

"Because I thought it would be a good idea. And Jess said something about gifts."

"It's just our anniversary," Cas pointed out in confusion. "I don't see what the big deal is."

Dean got off the couch, setting Cas on his feet. It always amazed Cas how Dean could do that. Dean was a little broader than Cas and maybe an inch or two taller, but he could pick Cas up like he didn't weigh a thing. It never failed to turn him on either.

"I agree completely, babe, but you know our friends. They're gonna do what they want," Dean said, shrugging. He gave Cas a quick kiss before walking over to the door.

"I'm going to go get ready," Cas said sullenly before walking down the hall.

"Want me to bring you a drink?"

"No, entertain the alcoholics," he said before disappearing into their bedroom.

Dean chuckled as he opened the door. Sam and Jess were standing there with a bottle of wine. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr. and Mrs. Cockblock."

"You told us to come over early!" Sam exclaimed.

Dean looked down at his watch. "I said early, not as soon as possible," he told them as he moved out of their way for them to walk in. Before he shut the door, Benny and Jo drove up. He motioned for them to come in as he left the door open for them.

"Next time tell me when," Sam told him.

"Anyway, we brought you a celebration present. Is Cas home yet?"

"Yeah, he's getting ready. We can celebrate when everyone gets here," he told Jess as he pulled wine glasses down from the cabinet.

"Happy anniversary!" Jo cheered as she and Benny walked into the house.

Benny waved a bottle of Jack in the air. "Got you guys a gift."

Dean smirked. His friends weren't alcoholics, but they were the closest they could get to the label without needing meetings. "You really didn't have to do that."

"Dean, this is a milestone for us," Benny pointed out. "It has been exactly one year since I told you so."

And Dean knew that it would be a yearly thing. Not because Benny was happy that his best friend had finally found someone to settle down with, but because he had been right all along when no one – save for Jess and his parents – believed him. Dean rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright. I'll listen to you next time. Jeez."

Benny nodded proudly. Before he could comment though, there was another knock on the door. "That's probably Charlie and Gilda," Cas said as he walked out of the bedroom.

"Awesome timing," Dean said as Cas made his way over to the door. Cas turned and winked at him before disappearing into the foyer.

Dean grabbed the bottle of wine and started opening it as Gilda, Charlie, and Cas walked into the kitchen. Everyone exchanged greetings. Over the past year, everyone had become very close. Charlie and Gilda had become part of the family and the eight of them hung out regularly. By the time everyone was finished saying hello, Dean had eight glasses poured.

Dean hesitated handing Jo her glass. "Is it okay for you to drink this?"

Jo nodded. "The doctor said that a little wine was okay. I plan to drink it for the toast and then give the rest to Benny."

"How's pregnancy treating you?" Cas asked her.

Jo rubbed her slightly extended belly. "Can't complain too much. It's kind of a weird feeling."

"When are you two going to have kids?" Benny asked them, smirking.

Dean shook his head. "My hips aren't wide enough for child birth."

Jo and Jess narrowed their eyes at Dean. "And you're saying mine are?" Jo asked.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Is someone going to make a toast? Can I just drink?"

Cas nudged Dean in the ribs with his elbow. Neither of them wanted to make a big deal out of their anniversary. To them, there was nothing special about today that wasn't special about every day. However, Cas figured it was more for their friends. Something they could do to say how happy they were that he and Dean had been together for a year. He had just come to this epiphany while changing. He hadn't had time to explain it to Dean.

Sam raised his glass. "Yeah, I have a couple of words," he announced, standing up a little straighter as he looked at Cas and Dean. "I'm happy for you. You two know that already, but I want to make sure you really know and understand that. Dean, you finally found someone that you can connect with, someone that you can take care of as much as they take care of you. The two of you have been through a lot of needless shit together and – I'll admit – part of me was a little worried you might not make it through it, but you did… and I'm happy for you."

Dean smiled at Cas who was smiling proudly back at him. Cas leaned forward and pressed a kiss under Dean's ear, making the small group to awe at the sight. Dean wrapped his arm around Cas waist as everyone raised their glass. "To Dean and Cas," Benny toasted.

Everyone clanked their glasses together before they took a drink. After getting Jo a glass of lemonade, the group took the remaining wine and some beers into the living room where they caught up before heading to dinner. During the 'catching up', there was a slight lull in the conversation. Charlie took advantage of the silence and shot to her feet. Everyone looked up at her in confusion.

"Gilda and I want to make an announcement."

"Charlie…" Gilda called to her. She wanted to tell their friends, but she was still a little nervous.

Charlie ignored her. "Gilda and I have decided to have a baby!"

Everyone congratulated them on the decision, excited and happy for their friends. "What are you guys going to do? Adopt? In vitro?" Jess asked.

Charlie locked eyes with Cas. "Well, we kind of want a baby as close to our own as we can get," Charlie said, trying to ask Cas without having to ask him.

Cas smirked. "You want me to have sex with Gilda? I don't know. I mean, don't get me wrong, Gilda. You're a good looking girl, but…" he trailed off, hooking his thumb in Dean's direction as he rolled his eyes.

Dean narrowed his eyes at Cas. "No, by all means! Don't let _me_ stop you from _having sex with your sister's baby mama_!"

Cas started laughing again. His stomach muscles hurt from all the laughing he'd done earlier today. His abs were really getting a workout. Cas ran his hand down the side of Dean's face, winking at him. He looked back over to Charlie and told her, "I'd be happy to help you two out."

Charlie and Gilda squealed with joy as they both tackled Cas on the couch. "This is going to be great! I'll have someone to be pregnant with!" Jo exclaimed.

"It's going to be y'all's turn next," Benny said, winking at Dean and Cas as Charlie and Gilda removed themselves from Cas' lap.

Dean rolled his eyes at his best friend. "Why are you so obsessed with Cas and me having kids, dude?"

"I guess I'm just in a rush for you to have what we have," Benny said, motioning between himself and Jo and Jess and Sam. "You're halfway there, brother."

Dean looked over at Cas. They'd never talked about having kids, but he knew they both wanted them. Now the only question was when. Dean rested his hand on Cas' leg, smiling softly. "We'll get there."

^O^

After dinner, the group went bowling. It was something Cas thought of a few nights ago while he and Dean were lying in bed. Dean was almost asleep when the urge hit Cas. Cas told him and he agreed to it without realizing what he was agreeing to. Dean hated bowling. He was never any good at it, but Cas wanted to and he had a problem telling Cas no. They played couple versus couple, taking turns. Dean and Cas were losing thanks to Dean's proficiency with the game, but Cas was still having a blast.

"You sure you're having fun?" Dean asked him as Cas finished his turn. Dean was sitting on the seats farthest from the lanes. Jo had accidently lost her grip on her ball earlier and it almost hit Benny. Dean was just getting out of the danger zone.

Cas sat down beside Dean, leaning against his side. Dean's arm – which had been sitting on the back of the seats – wrapped around Cas' shoulders. "I'm having a blast."

"You excited about becoming a father?"

Cas frowned. "Are – are you pregnant? Do I need to call science and tell them they've been wrong all these millennia?" Dean chuckled. "I'm not going to be a father, Dean. I'm going to be an uncle. And so are you… again. I get to try to show you up."

Dean shook his head as he looked back at the game. "It's impossible to out uncle me, Cas. Don't embarrass yourself."

"Challenge. Accepted."

Dean smiled at Cas before looking past him. A few lanes down a birthday party was taking place. The kids looked like they were a couple of years younger than Haley. Dean had been watching them every so often, laughing at how they tossed the ball granny style down the lanes or how they were trying to psyche each other out by hollering at the kid trying to bowl.

Cas followed Dean's gaze and found the kids. He looked back at Dean and frowned. "What's going on in that head of yours, Winchester?"

Dean flicked his eyes back to Cas'. He shrugged before looking back at their game. "All this talk about kids got me thinking."

"Bad thinking or good thinking?" Cas asked, causing Dean to frown at him in confusion. "Are you realizing you don't want kids?"

Dean shook his head. "Very much the opposite."

"Dean! It's your turn!" Benny called to him.

Dean leaned forward and kissed Cas. "We'll talk later."

Cas tried to get Dean alone again, but Dean didn't let him. He stayed with the group until the night ended. Once they were home and everyone was gone, Cas cornered Dean in their bedroom. "It's later."

Dean smiled at Cas as he stripped his shirt off and tossed it into the clothes basket. "What are you so worried about, Cas?" Dean asked him as he pulled Cas against him.

Cas rested his arms on Dean's shoulders. "I just want to know where you're at with this. You're okay with me helping Charlie and Gilda, right?"

"I am."

"Then what's going on? You seem… distant."

"I'm just a little… bummed."

Cas frowned. "Bummed?"

"It's something Benny said. When he said he was rushing us to be where they were. I just… wish we were."

Cas smirked. "You're bummed that we aren't further along in our relationship?"

Dean rolled his eyes, pulling away from Cas and walking into to the bathroom. "Yeah," he said as he turned on the shower. "I am. I'm bummed that we aren't planning for kids. I know we'll get there, but…"

"But?" Cas asked as he leaned against the door frame.

"But I wish we were there now," Dean told him as he turned to look at him. "I'm tired of being the uncle."

Cas walked over to him, drapping his arms over Dean's shoulders. "I can't wait for you to be a father either, Dean. I can't wait to have kids with you. I'm ready for it as well, but there's no need to rush it. I'm not finished having adult fun with you, yet."

Dean frowned. "Adult fun? Like… sex? We're going to stop having sex once we have kids?" Dean asked. He smiled as Cas rolled his eyes at him. Dean gave Cas a quick kiss, pressing his forehead against Cas'. "I love you, Cas."

Cas smiled, sighing softly. "I love you, too."

Dean pulled back and looked into Cas' eyes. "Want to shower with me?"

Cas shook his head. "No. I'm pretty sleepy and I know if I get in that shower with you, we aren't going to shower."

"We'll shower eventually…" Dean said with a smirk.

Cas chuckled softly. "I'm going to bed," Cas told him as he pulled out of Dean's arms.

Dean smacked Cas' ass as he walked away. "I'll be in there in a minute," Dean said as he watched Cas walk out the door, pulling the door closed behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. Next chapter is the LARP'ing event and it is also the last chapter of this little story. There may or may not be another story on the horizons. I make no promises. ;)
> 
> Thanks for all the reviews guys! I love reading them and answering all of you! Leave me some more if you'd like. ^.^
> 
> Until next time!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright you beautiful creatures, this is the end. Enjoy!

Dean and Cas weren't ones to celebrate their anniversaries. Their friends pushed the celebrations and Dean and Cas would always entertain them. However, this time, Dean decided to do things a little differently. He wanted to surprise Cas. Being a gay couple hindered them from experiencing some of the normal things straight couples got to experience, like getting married. Sure, they could go to one of the few states that had legal gay marriage, but Kansas wouldn't recognize the union in any form. But Dean still wanted to call Cas his husband. So, he made sure to get off work a little earlier than usual on Friday and he took a trip to the local jewelry store. Dean wanted to celebrate their fifth anniversary a little differently than how they normally did things.

Saturday morning, Cas woke up, stretching like a cat in the afternoon sun. He and Dean had stayed in last night, promising their family they would celebrate with them Saturday night. Dean cooked them steaks and after dinner, they had each other for dessert. Cas felt good. He was relaxed and sated. He rolled over to snuggle up to Dean, but found an empty bed instead. He knew Dean needed to change the oil in the Impala that morning, but he'd hoped to still wake up to the man.

Regardless, Cas got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. He passed by the bathroom mirror, but stopped. He had a hickey on his chest, right under his collarbone: Dean's favorite place to mark him. Cas reached up to touch the mark, but the ring on his finger caught his eye. He looked down at his left hand and saw a shiny piece of silver metal circling his finger.

He frowned, then chuckled softly. He grabbed a pair of pajama pants out of the drawer and pulled them on before going on a hunt for Dean. He found him under the hood of the Impala, shirtless and slightly dirty. His eyes shot to Dean's left hand, searching for his ring and he smiled when he found a matching ring.

"What're these?"

Dean set his wrench on the frame of the car before walking over to Cas. "They're wedding bands."

"I don't remember getting married last night," Cas said, smirking at the smiling Dean.

He shrugged. "If we could, we would, right?" Cas nodded. "I don't need a priest or a marriage license or the state of Kansas to tell me it's okay for me to call you my husband. You already are."

"And the rings?"

"They're just to let other guys know that you are off the market."

"And you."

"And me," Dean agreed with a smirk. "For true love, right?"

"For true love," Cas said, remember the first time they said those exact words all those years ago. Cas reached up and framed Dean's face, pulling him in for a kiss. Cas felt Dean's lips curl into a smile before he pulled away from him. "You are the corniest bastard, do you know that? Have I ever told you that?"

Dean chuckled. "Once or twice. I also remember you telling me to never stop being corny."

"And I will reaffirm that request. Never change, Dean."

^O^

Dean had never seen so much supple cleavage before in his life. He'd put off this LARPing thing for far too long as far as he was concerned – five years to be exact. Cas caught him staring. "Do you see something you like?" he asked, a little offended that Dean was looking so pleased with all the breasts that were threatening to fall out of the tops of the dresses the fair maidens were wearing.

Dean's smirk fell of his face. "No, well, kind of. Come on, Cas. Boobs are awesome. Even you have to admit that."

Cas' eyebrows rose in surprise as he shook his head. "You must've forgotten some time in between the last time I sucked you cock and now: I'm gay. Breasts hold no interest in my mind. But if they interest you, maybe I can stop those two girls so you can have some fun," Cas told him, looking past Dean and opening his mouth as if he were going to holler after them.

Dean quickly grabbed Cas' face and kissed him, right in the middle of the bazaar. Cas placed his hands on Dean's hips, pulling him against him as Dean lost one of his hands in Cas' hair, leaving the other to cup his face. After a moment, Dean pulled back, smiling at the blissful look on Cas' face. "You're all I need, Cas."

"That's what I thought," he told him before kissing him again.

Dean smiled into the kiss before pulling away to look at Cas who was smiling back at him. "Maybe it's time for the Queen's knights to go take a break, huh?" Dean suggested, wiggling his eyebrows at Cas.

Cas nodded, grabbing Dean's hand and pulling him back towards the royal tents. It was hard not to stay aroused with Dean running around the event wearing leather and chainmail. Dean was having the same dilemma with Cas. Charlie and Gilda did a great job on both of their outfits and it was driving Dean crazy watching Cas walk around wearing it.

However, halfway back to the tents, Dean stopped them. As much as he wanted to fuck the hell out of Cas, he had to keep an eye on his niece. Haley was fourteen now and she was turning into a very lovely young woman… and Dean knew what fourteen year old boys thought about when it came to fourteen year old girls. Haley was standing there with a boy. He was tall and lanky. He kind of reminded Dean of Sam when he was that age. Cas followed Dean's gaze, smirking at the frown on Dean's face when he saw Haley flirting with a boy.

"Dean, she's growing up. This is going to happen."

"Not on my watch it ain't," he said, dropping Cas' hand and heading straight for Haley.

Haley was smiling up at the boy, but when she caught sight of her uncle, she rolled her eyes and sighed. "Here we go," she mumbled.

"And who is this?" Dean asked, looking the boy up and down, judging him.

"Dean, this is – "

"I am Demetri of Moondor, Sir Winchester. It is a pleasure and an honor to meet you," he said, nodding his head at Dean.

Dean frowned at him. "You know me?"

Cas walked up at that point, hoping to save Haley from embarrassment. "Opening ceremony, remember? The Queen knighted us?"

Dean looked at Cas sideways before narrowing his eyes at this Demetri fellow. He stood up a little straighter, trying to embrace his inner knight. "And your intentions with my niece?"

Haley buried her face into her hand. "Oh my God," she mumbled.

Cas bit his lips, trying not to laugh at the situation unfolding before him.

"I come with the purest of intentions, Sir Winchester. I wish only for a moment with your beautiful niece. It is the least that I could hope for."

Dean narrowed his eyes at him again. "And what do you plan to do in that moment, huh?" Dean asked, moving a little closer to the boy.

The boy held his ground. "Whatever the fair maiden wishes." Demetri said simply. "My only desire to make her smile." Haley looked up from her hand, smiling sweetly at the dark haired boy. He smiled back at her in return. "Your smile doth make my heart skip a beat, m'lady."

Haley giggled, biting her bottom lip and blushing as she looked up into the boy's pretty blue eyes. Dean was about to say something to the smooth talker, but Cas pulled on his hand. "Leave them be, Dean," Cas said softly into Dean's ear.

Dean looked torn. He really wanted to go have some quality time with Cas – again, but Haley seemed to have drawn the attention of Casanova. He looked at Cas. Cas nodded, stepping away from Dean and walking towards the royal tents. Dean sighed.

He motioned to the area off to his right. "Go over there for a moment, Demetri. Let me have a word with Haley for a second."

Haley sighed, irritated with her uncle as Demetri bowed, telling him, "Yes, sir, Sir Winchester." before walking away.

"Dean – "

"Shut up and listen to me for a second, okay?" Haley crossed her arms and nodded her head. "Do me a favor and don't go outside of the camp, alright? I know he's dreamy and he's saying all the right things, but he's still a dude and fourteen year old dudes only think about one thing."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Do you really think I'm that stupid?"

"Of course not."

"Then why the third degree?"

"Because I don't know the little bastard and unless you have superhuman strength in those chicken arms of yours then I want you where people can see you at all times."

Haley hit Dean's arm. "I do not have chicken arms!"

Dean chuckled at his niece. "Just do an old man a favor, please? Just the one. I found a gray hair the other day and I'm not ready for that shit."

Haley tried to hide her smile, trying to keep her angry face in place. "Whatever."

"I love you, Twitterbug."

"I love you, too, Dean."

He pulled her into a hug and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I'll come looking for you in an hour, okay?"

"Okay."

Dean pushed her away, pushing her in the direction of Demetri. "If one hair is out of place…" Dean threatened Demetri, running his finger across his throat.

Demetri gave him a nervous smile as he offered his arm to Haley. "Yes, sir, Sir Winchester."

Dean watched them walk away before turning to look at Cas. Cas was standing there with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. "Feel better?"

"No."

"Want me to take your mind off of it?"

"Yes."

Cas took Dean's hand and pulled him in the direction they were walking before their side quest started. Charlie and Gilda stopped them as they were going into their tent. "Hey guys," Gilda said, carrying their little girl, Gwendolyn – or as Cas liked to call her, Gwenie. The little two year old princess looked just like Gilda.

"Where are you two going?" Dean asked, concerned. Charlie was ready to burst. She was pregnant with Dean and Cas' baby which was due in two weeks. However, she started having labor pains early that morning. Dean and Cas told her to stay off her feet as much as possible and to just relax.

Charlie put her hands on her lower back. "I need to walk. I'm tired of being laid up. It takes the pressure off my back. Also, I have a kingdom to run."

"Don't walk around for too long and take one of the guards with you," Cas told her.

"Oh, and Haley is hanging out with some punk kid… if you see her, threaten him for me, okay?" Dean requested.

Charlie laughed, shaking her head. "I hope you have a boy," Charlie told him. She saw what he went through with Haley and she was just his niece. She knew it would be one hundred times worse if it were his daughter. "And one of the guards should be here any moment. What are you two doing?"

"Urm…" Cas' was at a loss for an explanation.

"Planning war strategies," Dean told her.

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Don't you think you've taken over Normandy enough?"

Cas smirked. "Hardly," he said, pulling Dean into their tent.

Gilda reached over and flipped the sign on the outside of their tent to _Do Not Disturb_. "Don't want to scar the townsfolk."

Cas attacked Dean as soon as the curtain was closed. Cas kissed Dean heatedly, running his hands through his short brown hair. "I love how these clothes look on you, Dean," Cas said, trailing kisses down Dean's neck. "But I hate that it's so difficult to get out of them."

Dean spun Cas around, pulling him tight against him as he positioned them in front of the full length mirror attached to the tents main pole. "Then let me fuck you with them on," he said grazing his teeth against the back of Cas' neck as he palmed at Cas' dick through his pants.

"Fuck," Cas panted out. He grabbed Dean's hand and shoved it down his pants. "Okay," he agreed.

Dean pulled Cas' pants down, jerking Cas off as they watched each other in the mirror. Dean pressed his lips against Cas' ear. "You look so fucking hot, Cas." Cas smirked as he reached around, grabbing at Dean's ass with one hand and grabbing at his dick with the other. Dean reached around and pulled Cas' shirt up, giving him the view of his flat stomach and jutting hip bones. "So hot," he mumbled.

Cas pushed Dean's hands away as he turn around. "Enough of your hand. I need you mouth," Cas said, pressing down on Dean's shoulders. Before Dean knelt in front of Cas, he pulled his pants down enough to get his hardened cock out so he could jerk himself off as he sucked Cas off.

Cas' eyes rolled into the back of his head as his head fell back. Dean's mouth always felt so good. It was like the first time every time. Cas ran his hands through Dean's hair, holding his head in place as he shallowly fucked Dean's mouth. When he looked down at Dean, he found a pair of green eyes staring back up at him. Dean winked at Cas as Cas continue to fuck his mouth. Dean reached up and pushed his hand up Cas shirt so he could run his hand over his stomach and chest.

Dean pulled back, replacing his mouth with his hand. "I know we said we'd fuck with the clothes on, but I really need you out of that shirt, Cas," Dean said as he got to his feet.

Cas smirked at Dean before he crashed his lips against Cas'. Both men moaned deeply as they're hard dicks rubbed against one another. They got out of the chainmail, tunics, and wrist bindings as quickly as the clasps and ties allowed them. Once they were shirtless, Dean's lips found their way to Cas' collarbone and chest and Cas dug his fingers into Dean's scarred back. Ever since Dean's accident, Dean would often wake up to Cas kissing the scars on his back. Dean hated them, but Cas loved them. To Cas, they meant Dean survived and he would take ugly red scars over nothing at all any day of the week.

"Lay back on the bed," Dean told him. If that's what you could call the itchy wool covered hay bed they were sleeping on. Somehow, the Queen gets a real bed, but her knights are sleeping on cow food.

"What about our pants and shoes?" Cas asked, looking down at the bed.

"Leave them on," Dean told him as he walked over to their suitcases, pulling out the condoms and lube. Dean didn't realize they were going to be basically camping during the event, so when he found out there were no personal bathrooms; he went to the closest convenient store and got supplies.

Cas frowned. "You sure?"

Dean tossed the condoms and lube on the bed before pushing Cas back on it. "I'm sure."

Cas smirked up at Dean as he grabbed a condom out of the box. "Come here, Sir Winchester. Let me sheath your sword for you."

Dean chuckled softly as he knelt in front of Cas. Before Cas opened the condom, he wrapped his lips around Dean's dick. "Fuck," Dean hissed. "Get on your hands and knees, Cas." Cas did. "Turn sideways."

Cas did as Dean asked. Dean grabbed the lube, slicking up his fingers before working Cas' hole. Cas moaned as Dean thrust his fingers in his ass. The vibrations on Dean's cock made the blow job even better. Once Dean had three fingers inside of Cas, Cas stopped sucking Dean off to focus on pushing back against Dean's hand.

"Get on your back, baby," Dean said softly as he removed his fingers.

Before Cas did, he grabbed the condom and slid it down Dean's cock. Dean got more lube in his hand, working it over himself as he watched Cas work his own dick. Dean grabbed Cas' legs. Keeping them firmly together, he pulled Cas closer to him. Dean maneuvered Cas' legs over his head. His pants were keeping his boot clad feet together, making it a little difficult to get Cas' legs around him.

"Maybe we should've taken them off."

"Too late now," Cas said breathlessly.

Dean pressed his forehead against Cas' as he slid inside of him. Cas pressed his head back into the pillow, exposing his neck to Dean. Dean showered his neck and shoulders with kisses as he waited for Cas to get used to him. Cas started rolling his hips, giving Dean the silent go-ahead to start moving his own hips. He set a slow rhythm at first, enjoying Cas' little gasps and soft whimpers and moans against his ear. When he picked up his pace, he moved his head so he could kiss Cas.

Dean picked up his pace again, bracing himself on his arm so he could jerk Cas off. Cas pushed Dean's hand away. "I want you closer," he said, pulling on his shoulder.

Dean rested on his elbows as he continued at his hard, fast pace. He pressed his face against Cas' neck. Cas ran his fingers through the back of Dean's hair before moving his hand to grip his back. "Dammit, Cas," Dean moaned against Cas' slick sweat skin. "I'm close."

"Me, too," Cas panted against his ear.

Dean started fucking him harder, wrapping his hands around his shoulders as he picked up his speed a little more. Both men were grunting and moaning on the brink of orgasm. Finally, it hit Cas hard. He gasped, tensing up as came on his chest. The tightness around Dean's dick triggered his orgasm, slamming himself into Cas as he grunted against his neck.

Dean collapsed onto Cas, swearing softly. Cas chuckled, as he wrapped his arms around him. "You okay?"

"I can't feel my legs," Dean mumbled.

Cas chuckled again. "Me either."

Dean pulled back and looked down at Cas with a lazy smile before kissing him. They laid there for a moment, Cas slowly and softly stroking Dean's back, kissing languidly. Dean rested his forehead against Cas'. "We need to go check on Charlie," Cas said softly.

"And Haley."

"You know she's okay."

"She's never okay."

Cas smiled. "Dean, she's going to have to – "

"Not yet, Cas. Give me ten more minutes." Cas kissed Dean soundly on the lips. Dean pulled away after a long moment. "Keep kissing me like that and we're not going to be able to go check on anyone," Dean said before kissing him again.

Cas smiled into the kiss, before pushing on Dean's chest. "Come on, Sir Winchester. Let's get cleaned up."

^O^

Dean and Cas were almost dressed. They were both still shirtless, but they'd taken their rag baths and were about to pull their shirts on when there was a knocking on the sign outside their tent.

"Sir Winchester? Sir Novak?" someone called to them in a panic.

Dean and Cas frowned at one another. Dean – never one to care who saw him without clothes – walked over to the entrance to the tent and pulled the curtain back. In front of him stood a rather shaken lanky guard, one he remembered from the opening ceremony the other night. Dean looked around, wondering what was going on but all he saw were girls stopping and staring.

"What's wrong?"

"It's the Queen. She's gone into labor."

Cas was on his feet and at the entrance to the tent beside Dean before Dean could respond. At this point, the girls that had stopped and starting staring at Dean started whispering and giggling – all of which was going unnoticed by the two knights. "She's what?" Cas asked. "Did you say labor?"

"Yes! She sent me to summon you. She's at the food court."

"Tell her we're on our way," Cas told him before pulling Dean back into the tent. The two men were out of their boots and pants as fast as they could get them off. They weren't going to welcome their baby into the world wearing chainmail. Once both of them were in t-shirts, jeans, and shoes, they ran out of the tent and straight to Charlie. Gilda was there keeping her calm while Haley and Demetri kept Gwen calm.

"You took time to change?!" Charlie screamed at them.

"We were half – " Dean stopped himself. "No, we didn't. Come on," he said, getting her to her feet.

"Get her to the hospital," Gilda told them. "Haley, Gwen, and I will be right behind you guys."

"Gilda…" Charlie called out to her, not wanting her to leave her side.

"I'll be right there, love," Gilda promised. Charlie just nodded her head bravely and let Dean and Cas take her to the hospital.

They were only a few hours away from Lawrence, but they weren't going to drive all the way back to have the baby. When Charlie's doctor found out she was going to take a trip this close to her due date, the doctor arranged for her to be able to have the baby there in case she went into early labor. Charlie, Dean, and Cas even met with the doctor a few times just to make sure they were comfortable with him delivering the baby instead of her regular doctor.

"Call him," Dean said. "Let him know we're on our way."

^O^

When Gilda, Haley, and Gwen got there, Charlie, Dean, and Cas were already set up in a hospital room. Charlie was poking her numb legs and munching on ice chips while Dean and Cas sat patiently at her bedside.

"How are you feeling?" Gilda asked her.

"Funny," Charlie said as she giggled.

Haley walked over to Dean and Cas, sitting on Dean's lap. "No Demetri, huh? I was certain the two of you would be getting married by now."

Haley rolled her eyes. "You're the worst." Dean chuckled. "How much longer until the baby is here?"

"Her contractions are getting closer," Dean told her. "Should be soon. We've already called everyone. They're probably not going to get here before the baby is born, though."

"Do you guys need anything?"

Dean shook his head. Cas smiled at her. "No," he said softly.

"I'm about to have another one, I think," Charlie said. She could feel the pressure, just not that pain. "Yup," she confirmed.

Haley frowned. "I thought that was supposed to hurt?" Haley questioned.

"She's had an epidural," Cas explained.

Dean checked his watch. "Still five minutes apart."

"Haley, why don't you go show Gwen around? Take her to the babies," Gilda told her. She could tell Haley was going to get restless until the action started.

Haley agreed and took Gwen. Gilda waited for Haley to leave. "Thanks to the two of you, I had to avoid the question of what lube was used for."

"What?" Dean and Cas asked together.

"I got all our bags since I didn't think we'd be going back to the game. She offered to get your things after she'd gathered her stuff together. Apparently it was on the – "

"We know where it was," Cas stopped her. "What did you tell her?!"

"You're other niece started crying at that point and it bought me some time. I told her Dean used it for his burn scars. It shut her right up."

Dean started laughing. He couldn't stop. He doubled over laughing so hard. At one point he stopped breathing. This caused Cas, Gilda, and Charlie to laugh at the situation. Dean could only imagine how awkward that conversation was for Gilda, but he was just ridiculously happy that he didn't have to have that conversation with her. However, during the laughing session, Charlie had another contraction. They were getting closer together.

Before they knew it, it was time to have the baby. Gilda, Haley, and Gwen waited in the waiting room down the hall, entertaining Gwen as best as they could. She could tell the both of them were nervous about something and that just made her nervous.

Dean and Cas were by Charlie's side. She had one on either side, holding their hands in a death grip as they coached her to push. The time seemed to fly by and before they knew it, there was a piercing cry.

"It's a girl!" the doctor announced.

Dean and Cas looked up at one another, happy as could be that they were proud fathers of a little girl. They had kept the sex of the baby a secret for this reason right here. Dean had tried to pick out names for their kid, but Cas said that he was going to have to hold them before he'd settle on a name. The nurses cleaned her up as Charlie relaxed against the bed. "Wow…" she said.

Cas smiled down at his sister. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm… good, considering…" she said with a chuckle.

"Charlie, we can never thank you enough."

"Consider us even," she said, winking at him.

Cas laugh. "Deal"

Dean walked over to Cas. Cas didn't even notice they'd cleaned her up that fast. Dean had their daughter in his arms and tears on his face. She'd stopped crying and was just staring at him. "Hey, baby girl. Hi," he said softly before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Dean reached out for Cas, pulling him against them. "Hey, sweetheart," Cas said, grabbing her little hand, chuckling as her tiny fingers wrapped around his finger. "You're so tiny."

"Here," Dean said, giving Cas their baby. "Hold her, give her a name."

"What were you thinking?" Cas asked him, as he held his daughter close to his chest, pressing his nose and lips against her forehead.

"Grace," Dean said. It had been his favorite of the girl names he'd narrowed down.

Cas looked down at the green eyes looking back at him. "My Grace," he said softly. "I like that. That's perfect."

If Dean thought anything was perfect, it was the sight in front of him: Cas holding their daughter. _That_ was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End. I hope you guys loved reading this last chapter as much as I loved writing it. ^.^
> 
> I've got another story in the works, but I'm going to take a break. Two stories and a one shot (that'll possibly be more) in four months has taken it's toll. BUT I'LL BE BACK! ;)
> 
> Thanks to everyone that's reviewed and sent messages and had conversations with me. You guys are the best. It really means a lot to me that you take the time to tell me how much you enjoy the story! And to all the silent folks out there that just read, thank you, too. You guys are awesome as well.
> 
> See everyone next time? ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a review if you'd like! Thanks for reading!


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